RACES on Dundalk’s Tuesday card were either confined to apprentices or riders who hadn’t ridden more than 20 winners during the 2025 turf season and, rather surprisingly, Declan McDonogh met the latter criterion.
The 2006 champion jockey took advantage of a relatively quiet spell last term, when he steered 18 winners, to notch a double with his first two rides of 2026.
Firstly, Another Day Done (10/1) easily beat stablemate Grey Sands to give Joseph O’Brien a 1-2 in the three-year-old handicap over a mile. The D Michaux-owned colt came from off the pace to score by five and a half lengths.
“He was up in trip today and with the visor on,” said McDonogh. “He’s a bonny little horse and is going the right way
“I had a nice little break with the family over Christmas and it’s great to be back.”
Stable bow
McDonogh followed up on Winemaker (10/1), who made a successful debut for his new trainer Declan McGuigan in the six-furlong handicap.
The trainer’s son, and winning owner, Kyle Browne McGuigan had claimed the six-year-old for just €5,000 at this course in November. Having raced behind the leaders, Winemaker finished well to score by a length from Mount Ruapehu.
McGuigan explained: “That’s our third winner and we have around seven or eight horses in training. We are in Donegal and come here often, as this is not too far away for us.
“To have a jockey of Declan’s quality today is amazing and you have all that man’s experience.”
SIOBHAN Rutledge returned from a year spent riding in Australia to register a winner on her second ride back in Ireland, as Stone Bear (13/2) took the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap. Trained by Ross O’Sullivan for John Bowden, Stone Bear got home by a cosy length and three-quarters from Plushy.
Rutledge, who has three winners left with her 3lb claim, said: “This is brilliant and is the start you want; to let everyone know you are home. I will be hoping to do freelancing and riding for loads of different trainers.
Regarding her time in Australia, she added: “I was lucky with trainers Chris and Corey Munce, who I went to in Eagle Farm, as they were really good to me. They taught me everything that I needed to know about track work.
“This is me back permanently and hopefully I can get myself in the door with a few different yards, so I’m hoping to kick on.”
Sun shines
The well-bred Soaring Sun (9/4) took the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Apprentice Maiden in the hands of Robyn Donaghue-Leahy.
Trained by Pat Flynn for his wife Catherine, the relation to Flynn’s one-time leading juvenile Designs On Rome, who later became a top-class performer in Hong Kong, placed on three previous course starts over shorter. Stepping back up to a mile and a half, the five-year-old edged ahead close home for a half-length success
“He enjoys the sound surface, but I’d say he would be a nicer horse with a cut in the ground,” said the winning rider.
Game winner
A close finish in the apprentice handicap over a mile saw Moyassr (5/2 favourite) gain the lead inside the final furlong and hold on to defeat Daonethatgotaway by a head.
Recording his third course-and-distance success, the Aiden Hynes-owned Mehmas gelding was a fourth winner for jockey Adam Grant.
Trainer Paul Flynn said: “He got a good ride and it was a game performance as he doesn’t do a lot in front. He got a little injury on his heel over Christmas, so is coming back from that.”
TRAINED by rising star Danny McLoughlin for Syndicates Racing, Two And Two was a 40/1 winner of the six-furlong race for three-year-olds.
Ridden by Nathan Crosse, the daughter of Far Above battled well to overhaul odds-on favourite This Guy by three-parts of a length.
McLoughlin reported: “We always liked the way she worked and she has improved from her first run. She’ll definitely get seven furlongs and will probably get a mile.”
Lovely ride
Apprentice jockey Hugh Horgan continued his good run when landing the first division of the extended 10-furlong handicap on the Tracey Collins-trained Limestone Red (5/1), having recently bagged a Leopardstown Christmas Festival success aboard Duke Silver, trained by cousin Joseph O’Brien.
Owned by Tom and Caroline Hendron, Limestone Red had a length and a half to spare over Mystical Rock on the line.
Collins commented: “Hugh gave that horse a lovely ride, because he isn’t the easiest and can be tricky. He got him into a sweet rhythm and did everything right.
“Limestone Red has been very consistent, but the handicaps up here are very tight, with the draw having a big impact.”
Second success
Based in Newcastle, Co Dublin, Cian Hughes trained his second racecourse winner when Thompson Gunner (16/5 favourite) gained an overdue first success in the second split of the extended 10-furlong handicap.
Racing in first-time blinkers, the son of Highland Reel held on under Patrick McGettigan to beat the faster-finishing Storm Eric by half a length.
Hughes reported: “We have around 20 horses for breaking, pre-training and everything like that, and had a point-to-point winner last Saturday in Tinahely.
“He deserved to win a race and I’m delighted for Danny Coogan (owner), who also bred the horse.”