AURORA Nova doubled her career total with a strong performance in the featured Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap over the flying five furlongs in Down Royal.

Jamie Powell made his move at the halfway stage and the pair came through to lead with less than two furlongs to travel. Aurora Nova forged on stoutly in the final furlong to strike by two and three-quarter lengths at 10/3 for the Dreams Of Glory Racing Syndicate.

Andy McNamara said: “She is after winning two and has won well there, so I’d imagine she is going to get a nice few pounds for that. She might be a bit hard to place after this.

“The way she won there, we could chance and see if we could get a bit of blacktype with her. That might be aiming a little high, but we might give it a go.”

Shining

Pat Flynn’s Surpass And Shine was backed in from 9/2 to 10/3 joint favourite for the G Dunlop Electrical Handicap over five furlongs and his backers were on good terms with themselves when Billy Lee conjured a winning finish from him.

The four-year-old gelding was pushed along in fourth approaching the final furlong and Lee drove him to the front 100 yards out.

He had a willing partner who beat Cuban Grey by a length in the colours of Mrs Patrick J Flynn.

The jockey said: “Pat was mulling over whether we go five or seven (furlongs), but I just think he is better just having the bit down in his mouth and letting him at it so I thought five. He will go six again. Nice performance and we think he’ll come forward.”

The placings of the first two home in division two of the Laura Nicholas Memorial Handicap were reversed after a stewards’ enquiry.

Promoted

Owner/trainer Andy Oliver’s Bamako (10/3 favourite) was promoted to first after receiving bumps from Saxon Kingdom at the top of the hill and rounding the home bend. The bumps and interference were deemed to have been caused by Purring Along on the inner of Saxon Kingdom.

Purring Along beat Bamako by a length and a quarter at the end of seven furlongs with Saxon Kingdom another length and a half back in third, however, the stewards took action. The amended result brought up a double for jockey Lee.

Ronan Whelan, who was on board Purring Along, was handed a five-day ban for riding carelessly.

GER Lyons ran three horses in the Harvertech Maiden over five furlongs and was rewarded with first (Sir Alfie), third (Howd’yadoit) and fourth (Willofthepeople).

Sir Alfie may have been the biggest priced of the trio at 22/1, but he was always to the fore and delivered his challenge to grab a share of the lead with Silver Flash 150 yards out. The Dark Angel colt showed good tenacity to get up by a neck close home under Leigh Roche for A.K. Whelan.

Assistant trainer Shane Lyons said: “Leigh was very impressed with him there. He said the horse came to him and he put his head down. The way he ran out, he will get further. He’s a nice horse going forward and he has improved with every week that has gone underneath him, and he will improve again.”

Claim cuts

Alyse Clarke saw her claim cut from 10lb to 7lb after scoring on The Bog Bank in division one of the Laura Nicholas Memorial Handicap. All three of her successes have been on this mare, owned by Hugh J O’Brien, Loughlin Flynn and J.B. Tolan.

The 16/1 shot was noted making stealthy headway inside the final quarter of a mile and she kept finding for Clarke to sweep through to lead in the closing stages.

After she came in by three-parts of a length, Tom McCourt said: “She goes up in the handicap and when she comes back to a level again, she seems to find her old form again. As soon as she crossed the road, she looked a big danger at that point.”

Finding gaps

Keithen Kennedy had to wait for the gaps in the Future Ticketing x Kappture Handicap sprint but, once they came, he had plenty of horse in Billie Be Quick (3/1 favourite) for the task.

She raced through between horses in the final 150 yards to soon lead and went on by a length and a quarter for owner Sebastian R.T. Curran.

The jockey said of Jessica Harrington’s charge: “I said I’d rather be done for being unlucky than coming too wide. I just bided my time and waited for the gaps to come. When they came, she went straight through them.”

NORTH Coast proved much too good in the BoyleSports Median Auction Maiden over seven furlongs. The 4/5 favourite made all and kicked on racing to the final furlong. The Starman juvenile opened up in the final furlong for Declan McDonogh to deliver by five and a half lengths for Joseph O’Brien and owner John C Oxley. Stable representative Mick Halford said: “I’d say he enjoyed the extra furlong and he stepped forward well from his first run (third in the Curragh).”

Summer Snow popped up at 14/1 in the Proparamedics Medicall Handicap also over seven furlongs. Under Rory Cleary, she tracked the leaders and took over with a furlong and a half to go, increasing her lead and rolling in by two and a half lengths for owner Pat Kelly. Trainer Peter Lawlor said: “We’ll see what the handicapper gives us, I’d say we are still in the 70s. I might look at Derby weekend.”