JACK Kennedy notched his first winner in nearly four months when the Gordon Elliott-trained Kamikaz Du Plessis opened his account with a bold maiden hurdle success at Wexford - the former champion jockey’s third meeting since returning from injury. this week.

The 48-time Grade 1-winning rider had a plate removed from his collarbone and other physical issues addressed during an enforced break following a fall in the Cheltenham Gold Cup from the ill-fated Corbetts Cross.

He wasted little time to get back up and running for his boss and owners Robcour, riding with plenty of confidence on the 13/8 favourite in this three-and-three-quarter-length victory.

“I’m delighted I didn’t have to wait too long to get a winner on the board - it’s brilliant,” said Kennedy after landing the two-mile-five-furlong event.

“He’s a very slick jumper, travelled well and was probably borderline keen early, but once we went on a little bit he was perfect then. He’s a nice horse and hopefully there will be plenty more to come with him. I got a nice feel off of him.”

Flavin’s ‘machine’

One of Kennedy’s Cullentra colleagues Danny Gilligan scooped the feature event on the card when John Flavin’s stalwart Clarens landed the €22,000 Poolcourt Engineering Handicap Chase over an extended two miles and three furlongs.

Arriving here in fine form after winning two of his last three starts at Tramore, the Miracle Racing Syndicate’s 6/1 scorer came home like a fresh horse off a handy weight of 10st 6lb to beat Mr Saxobeat by four lengths.

“He’s some little machine of a horse,” said Flavin. “Since he started over fences, he’s just after turning inside out. He jumps like a stag and Danny said he was nearly trying to hold on to him every step of the way.

“He had 12st the last day around Tramore and that was a bit of the slog. He had a nice weight today and thought he was nearly on his own going around. That’s his first time winning over that trip and it’ll open up more options for us.”

ONE horse who wasn’t winning out of turn by any means was the Colm Murphy-trained Stay Gold, who completed a double on the day for jockey Conor Stone Walsh when landing the Thomas Donovan Construction Maiden Hurdle over an extended three miles.

Paul McKeon’s consistent novice had been threatening to win a nice handicap for some time and rattled the crossbar at Punchestown a month ago. Dropping down in class, the evens favourite found enough for pressure when it mattered to beat Coumeenoole by a neck.

Murphy said: “He was entitled to do that after the last day and on ratings, he just did what he was supposed to do. I’m not sure where we’ll go now because he is pretty exposed, wherever there is three miles plus. Galway could be on the agenda as Paul likes to have runners there.”

Mighty Mena

Stone Walsh, riding at his local track, had already been successful on Mena’s Miracle in the second division of the Clearwater Construction Handicap Hurdle - a first win under rules for owner Peter Aspel’s mare.

After a near miss at Tramore last time, the 8/1 shot ran out a clearcut winner for trainer Benny Walsh, uncle of the winning rider.

“She won well in the end and when she sees a fence, she’ll be better again,” said the locally-based trainer.

“Peter, a farmer from Ballinaboola, has been with us since we started. I’m delighted for him and his wife Mena - that’s where the name comes from.”

Crows flies home

There was a change to the result of that handicap hurdle when second past the post Onebrightbluerose was disqualified after Darragh O’Keeffe weighed in light, but the day ended on a positive note for the jockeys’ championship leader when partnering Crowsatedappletart (7/1) to win the Molloy Metal Recycling Handicap Chase.

Paul Mullins’ five-time winner could have been called the likeliest winner from some way out and ran out a smooth winner by six and a half lengths from Warm In Gorey.

Winning trainer Mick Winters said: “He could come back here for a handicap in a few weeks, we kind of follow the tracks that he likes.

“We were here two hours before the first race and he was fierce happy in himself, he was asleep in the stable.”

IT was also a good afternoon at the office for jockey Brian Hayes, who registered a double on a pair of 4/1 shots having already been among the winners at Tipperary this week.

The Willie Mullins-trained Fine Margin saved his best for the closing stages of what looked a decent MSK Silversand Beginners Chase over an extended two miles and three furlongs, drawing a length and a half in front of useful sorts Hms Seahorse and Al Gasparo.

Patrick Mullins said of the Pete Davies-owned winner: “He had been on the go a long time and went off the boil after bringing up a hat-trick last season. He jumped great today and Brian gave him a super ride, he is riding out of his skin at the moment.

“He wants good ground and we’ll keep him on the go. He might be a horse to go over to Cheltenham in October, November time.”

Gamble landed

Hayes’ opening winner in the first division of the Clearwater Construction Handicap Hurdle appeared to land a bit of a touch, as Highland Earl prevailed by a head to score as 4/1 joint-favourite (backed down from as big as 16/1).

Trained by Liam Cusack and owned by John Murray, it was a breakthrough win at the 10th attempt for a horse who had never previously finished in the first four but proved ahead of the assessor off 81.

“It’s been a while since I had a winner but they’ve been running well,” said Cusack. “We dropped him back a little bit in trip today and he relaxed and got into a lovely rhythm.

“Brian had him in a lovely position and the horse came forward nicely. John, a Shinrone man based in Boston, is a good supporter of mine.”

Wonderful World

One of the most decisive winners of the day was saved for the concluding Omnipro Bumper when recent Listowel second Soldiers World went one better in some style for the Declan Queally team.

The application of a first-time visor did no harm to the Galtee Mountain Boys Syndicate-owned five-year-old, who struck by six and a half lengths at 11/4.

“I got a couple of digs this morning about putting a visor on a horse in a bumper, but when I looked down through the race there was a lot of horses first time out,” said winning rider Declan Queally Jr.

“It’s not that he is ungenuine, but he is lairy and I just wanted to be able to go off and do my own thing. He responded well to them and so it worked, but he mightn’t be wearing them everyday.”