AMONG those delighted that Down Royal survived its morning inspection on Tuesday was Simon Torrens who wore J.P. McManus’s colours to victory in the Molson Coors Handicap Chase on the Niall Madden-trained Golden Sunset.

The Co Tyrone-born jockey was also on the mark three days earlier for the Willie Murphy yard at Fairyhouse where he landed the two-mile, one-furlong Celebrating 150 Years of the Irish Grand National Handicap Chase on Velocity Boy.

Downpatrick-born Danny McMenamin recorded a double on Sunday at Sedgefield where Brian Hughes rode a winner, that solitary success for the south Armagh native being sandwiched between doubles at Doncaster on Friday and Kelso on Monday. This latter brace saw Hughes move nine wins clear of the sidelined, and current champion, Richard Johnson in the British jump jockeys’ title race.

Sole outing

Also over jumps, the London-based property investor David Maxwell maintained his bid to retain the amateur championship at Plumpton on Monday when winning the near two-mile, five-furlong novices’ hurdle on his Paul Nicholls-trained 8/13 favourite, Cat Tiger.

On the level, there were wins for Barry McHugh at Newcastle last Thursday week and at Wolverhampton the following evening, while, further afield, victory in a seven-furlong handicap at Jebel Ali on Friday brought Patsy Cosgrave’s seasonal tally in the UAE to eight.

There were two Northern-bred winners in Britain last Friday, Glynn (a six-year-old gelding by Winged Love) and Imperial Elysian (a similarly-aged Kalanisi gelding).

The former, who a maiden at Portrush last March on his sole outing for Stuart Crawford and landed the near two-and--half-mile maiden hurdle at Doncaster on his first start for Nicky Henderson, was bred by Linda Gault out of the Riverhead mare Barnish River.

Imperial Elysian, who won a novices’ handicap hurdle at Huntingdon for the Fergal O’Brien yard, was bred by Berry Farms out of the King’s Theatre mare, Diva Antonia.