APPRENTICE title contender Paddy Harnett’s success at Dundalk on Wednesday came at a price, as he was hit with a 16-day suspension for a whip offence when winning the second division of the Christmas Party Nights At Dundalk Handicap on Roman Harry.

Trained by Shane Duffy for owner Garry Fleming, the 11/2 chance battled to a short-head success over Willie Martin’s 25/1 shot Jazzy Dancer.

It was a third career success for the six-year-old and a timely winner for Harnett, as it put him on the 25-winner mark for the season, just one behind leader Sam Coen in the apprentice championship.

However, the Limerickman was found to have used his whip with excessive frequency, resulting in the ban, which will rule him out of action in Ireland from Wednesday, November 11th up until February 5th.

Regarding his winner, Duffy commented: “He suits here, he’s a horse that likes the all-weather.

“We tried him a couple of times on grass and, while he travels well on grass, he just wheel spins and can’t pick up on it. He seems to get a grip on it here.

“He likes to be fresh, so we will give him three or four weeks and we will come back. He loves that surface and he’s a better horse on it.

“Niall McCullagh did a lot of work for me with him and he was unlucky on him a couple of days.

“That’s our third winner of the year and we’ve only had less than 20 runners, it is nice.”

Miss on target

Harnett had earlier enjoyed a 12/1 success on Little Miss Muffet in the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Fillies Maiden.

Donnacha O’Brien’s two-year-old won the seven-furlong contest with a little in hand, drawing clear of Aidan O’Brien’s 13/8 favourite Nevermindtherain inside the final furlong to score by a length and a quarter, a fair effort on her first start since the beginning of June.

Harnett said: “She definitely relished the extra furlong today, and the nicer surface.

“It was slower ground when she ran at the Curragh and Michael O’Callaghan’s horse Celeron won that race, which worked out well.

“She had a little break after she ran, and she has come forward plenty and I think she will come forward again from today. She did plenty of looking around in front.”

GARY Carroll rode winners for three different trainers, as he recorded his second treble of the season.

He took the opening Dundalk Stadium Optional Claiming Race on the Ger Lyons-trained Sonoran, who was subsequently claimed by James McAuley and will now join trainer Denis Hogan. A strong 11/8 favourite, the four-year-old came from well off the pace to beat Hogan’s 5/1 chance Justenzia by a length and a quarter, his third win in all.

Carroll said: “I would have sat handier if they were sensible, I was at the pin of my collar most of the way, but he was strong in his last furlong.

“You would have been disappointed if he didn’t beat them today. He did and did it nicely.”

The Sheila Lavery-trained Leveraging was the Kildare town jockey’s second winner when recording a narrow success in the eight-furlong Halloween Mid-Term Racing At Dundalk Handicap for owner Carmel Lordan.

The 5/1 chance got home a head in front of the Chris Timmons-trained 25/1 shot Sheamus Seimhiu and the winning trainer said: “David Marnane wanted Robbie (Colgan), but it was Robbie’s call to run him over a mile and how to ride him, so credit to Robbie.

Gives options

“Delighted with the horse and he was resolute. He wouldn’t let the other horse go by, so that is lovely to see. It gives you options. I think he will just get more confident.

“I’ll talk to the owners. I’d love to aim him for the Championships in the UK (Lingfield and Newcastle) on Good Friday.”

Andy Oliver’s Pocket Jacks was Gary Carroll’s final winner of the day in the opening division of the Christmas Party Nights At Dundalk Handicap.

The 6/1 chance, in the colours of the Shambles Spies Syndicate, was brought wide into the straight and ran out a length-and-a-half winner from Tom McCourt’s 11/4 favourite Jazzit.

Oliver said: “Very happy. She was declared for a race just after being second at Gowran Park, and she actually had an accident and tripped. She had a minor injury, but it took a long time, so she was off with that.

“We kind of had to rush her back. She was hardly more than ready to start last week and ran well (sixth, Gowran Park). This was an obvious opportunity.”

AFTER finishing runners-up with Nevermindtherain in the two-year-old fillies’ maiden, Aidan O’Brien and Jack Cleary went a place better with Tantardini in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.

The 5/2 chance, on only his second start and his first since mid-May, battled to a three-parts of a length win over Henry de Bromhead’s 10/1 shot Golden Idol, ridden by treble-hero Gary Carroll.

Jack Cleary reported: “He’s just back from a short break and he kept answering every question when I asked him.

“We were tipping along at a nice pace, and I just got my lad comfortable and, in fairness to him, he picked up well off the bend. He came home nicely.

“The step up to a mile would be okay for him too, but it is nice to get the winner today.”

First since claim

Jack Kearney rode his first winner since losing his claim at the Curragh earlier in October on the Stephen Thorne-trained Crayons In The Sky in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction Maiden.

Owned in partnership by Daniel Kreith and Shamrock Thoroughbreds, the 86-rated two-year-old was sent off a 1/2 favourite and scored cosily from the David Marnane-trained 7/2 chance Normanton. There was a length and a half between the market leaders at the line and Kearney said: “That’s job done now for a filly. She had been running well all summer, and just competitive Irish racing, and she was always bumping into one. She has finished behind some very talented horses.”

Far rail winner

With most Dundalk winners coming up the stand’s side, or at least right of centre these days, it was a rarity to see Pat Flynn’s Gallo Dell Cielo land the concluding Happy Halloween Handicap hard against the far rail.

The Jeffrey Mahany-owned six-year-old was recording his sixth win in all and his fourth at Dundalk and, at odds of 100/30, he got the better of Ado McGuinness’ 9/1 chance Dancing Steve by a neck in the hands of Robyn Donaghue-Leahy.

The winning jockey commented: “My lad, he’s tough, and he wants every bit of that mile and a half. He was doing his best work as he got to the line.

“He’s a great horse coming into November - you know he is going to come up here and he is going to turn up. He keeps the lights on, he is great!

“In fairness, we have always been fond of him at home. It has taken a while to make a man of him, but he has been worth the wait.”