WITH Downpatrick very much in the news following the £400,000 sale at Cheltenham of Patrick Turley’s four-year-old filly My Whirlwind, a double for the Co Down town just failed to materialise when David Maxwell, riding his own Richard Hobson-trained Shantou Flyer, was beaten into second place in the Foxhunter on Friday at Cheltenham by the 7/2 favourite, Hazel Hill.

The London-based property investor was back in action on Sunday at Carlisle where, joining forces with Derrylin trainer David Christie, he enjoyed a St Patrick’s Day success in the three-mile hunter chase with the 2/7 favourite, Road To Riches. This was Maxwell’s second time to ride the 2007 Gamut gelding in public since his £35,000 purchase from Gigginstown House Stud.

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On Monday at Exeter, the owner/rider, who is out to land the male amateur rider title in Britain, had mixed fortunes on two horses trained for him by Philip Hobbs.

The pair started with success in the first division of the maiden hurdle with Dolphin Square who, on the last of four point-to-point runs for Tom Keating, won a five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Templenacarriga in early January.

Later that month, the Shantou bay was sent to Doncaster where he was purchased on Maxwell’s behalf for £80,000 by David Christie Bloodstock.

On his British debut, Dolphin Square was sent off a 7/1 shot but got the better of the 11/10 favourite, Saint De Vassy by a length and a half.

Unfortunately, Maxwell’s winning run came to an end in the concluding three-mile hunter chase where he pulled up the 1/6 favourite Diplomate Sivola.

The race was won by the Beneficial mare In Arrears who scored by a comfortable 22 lengths in the hands of Kanturk-born Bryan Carver.