PADDY Twomey is considering a trip to York’s Dante Festival for his seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden winner Admiral Churchill, who opened his account at the fourth attempt following a gelding operation since his previous start.

Billy Lee was keen to be positive on the Bond Thoroughbred Limited-owned three-year-old, who had finished second to the 103-rated Rock Of Cashel at last year’s Galway Festival.

Hostility, sent off the 11/10 favourite for Joseph O’Brien, chipped away at the deficit in the closing stages but could never quite get on terms with the 100/30 winner, who scored by half a length in the first-time blinkers.

“I probably ran him over a bit too far [a mile] being a Kodiac the last day at the Curragh [when down the field] and he seems to like these tracks,” said Twomey.

“He had a good run at Galway last summer but looked a bit intimidated both days I ran him at the Curragh. Charlie Bond is based in Yorkshire and is a big sponsor at all their tracks so I’d imagine we’ll look for a handicap or novice for this horse next. There’s a suitable three-year-old handicap, if the ground was soft, at the Dante Festival at York over seven furlongs so that may be an option.”

Lee was narrowly denied a quickfire double in the Sinbin Events Maiden over a mile when Navy Waters was headed close home by the Joe Murphy-trained Victoria Kesia, a consistent four-year-old who wasn’t winning out of turn in the colours of Tony Auld and Crampscastle Bloodstock Ltd.

Conditions were increasingly testing as the day went on at Limerick, and the ease underfoot played to the strengths of Gary Carroll’s mount, who got off the mark at the 10th attempt at odds of 5/1.

Speaking after the half-length victory, Murphy said: “She deserved it, although her owner Tony Auld, who is based in Stansted, came over the last day when we thought she’d win. That’s her level. I think she wants further and soft ground.”

Colony clicking

Another filly not winning out of turn was the Fozzy Stack-trained Bay Colony, who was stepping up considerably in trip in the mile-and-a-half Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden and managed to dig deep when seeing off a Joseph O’Brien-trained duo at 2/1.

Craig Bernick’s three-year-old arrived here with a solid rating of 89, having been tried twice in blacktype company last year and finishing third on her seasonal bow in a mile maiden at Naas. The nicely-related New Bay filly has an Irish Oaks entry and opened her account at the fifth time of asking under Seamie Heffernan.

Stack said: “We knew the distance was a bit short for her over a mile at Naas the last day but thought we might get away with it, although the two who finished in front of her [Faiyum and Wannabe Royal] are quite smart. Today, she looked as though all she does is stay. We’ll try to get her blacktype now.”

BLACKTYPE ambitions are alive for the Joseph O’Brien-trained Wannabe Royal after posting a clearcut first success in the seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden under Dylan Browne McMonagle.

On paper, it looked a race with some substance, with Ross O’Sullivan’s Indigo Dream rated 92 and Hanamaya a well-supported newcomer for Dermot Weld, but the Mariga family’s Wootton Bassett filly (out of Group 3 winner Lady Wannabe) pulled six lengths clear of the field - making full use of her race fitness.

Recently-retired trainer Mick Halford represented the O’Brien stable on the day and said: “Dylan gave her a lovely ride, kept it simple, went a nice early pace and she hit the line strong. She is a forward-goer, her form would suggest that and while she was entitled to win her maiden, did it in good style.

“She looks a filly who could go a further furlong in time and getting blacktype will be the ultimate aim. She looks well up to that level on that performance.”

Excellent Evening

A fine afternoon’s work for O’Brien and Browne McMonagle continued in the Great National South Court Hotel Handicap as Evening Blossom notched the third win of her career - defying a career-high mark of 88 for owner Brian Dolan.

The Australia filly showed ground-versatility, having won on decent surfaces at Gowran and Leopardstown last year, and produced a fine attitude when it mattered. Half a length was the margin of victory for the well-backed 7/2 winner over 2/1 favourite Fort Vega.

“She’s very straightforward and very tough,” said the winning rider.

“She had a really good run the last day when she got tired early [finishing seventh at the Curragh], so I thought she would come forward a lot from it. While she wasn’t madly in love with the ground, she was tough at the business end. Hopefully she can keep improving through the grades.”

The treble for Browne McMonagle and O’Brien was brought up in the concluding D & E Behan Handicap over a mile and a half, as well-backed 6/5 favourite Out For A Stroll pulled out all the stops to get the better of a persistent Slieve Bearnagh.

J.P. McManus’ filly was taking advantage of an attractive flat mark of 58, having progressed nicely over hurdles through the winter to a rating of 115.

“She’s lazy but keeps finding plenty for pressure,” said Browne McMonagle. “Hopefully she can keep improving.”

ROSS Coakley notched his first turf winner since returning to Ireland when landing division two of the Munster Suite @ Limerick Handicap on his father Denis’ Chavajod - getting the better of a prolonged tussle with Loingseoir by a nose.

The 14/1 shot’s best form had all come on better ground or the all-weather, so it was a fair effort from the now five-time winner to collect here for the ownership group of Denis and Patrick Coakley, Joseph Costello and Arthur Connick.

“I would have taken him out due to the ground today only there is no race for him for weeks,” said the winning trainer.

“I didn’t think he’d handle it but he did and Ross gave him a very good ride as he got the best of the ground travelling wide the whole way. He has been tailed off every other time he had run on soft-to-heavy but we knew he was in good form today.

“He’s my only horse at the moment. That’s 14 or 15 winners we’ve had from 80 runners in recent years so it’s brilliant.”

There was a much more decisive winner of the first division of the same handicap when Church Mountain continued a fruitful week for Joey Sheridan and Denis Hogan at an easy-to-back 16/1.

Having dropped down to 2lb lower than his last winning mark, Joseph Kelly’s capable handicapper got a lovely tow into the race and never really looked like being caught once taking command. He saw off 5/2 favourite Martinelli by two and a half lengths.

Sheridan, who was among the winners for Hogan a night earlier at Tipperary, said: “I’ve won four races on him now and won on him at the Galway Festival in the past. He’s an old monkey and shows up when he wants to but Denis’ horses are starting to hit form now.

“We went through a lull over the winter so Denis gutted the place and the horses are really starting to hit form.”