HANDLER Sam Curling and rider Pa King dominated Sunday’s Aghabullogue meeting, one that has been staged on the Murphy farm at Dromatimore since 1988, by combining for a three-timer with Lite Duties (4/1) providing the pair with their middle success by posting a bloodless victory in the open.

Lite Duties, a former four-time track winner who held a one-time 134 hurdle rating when under the care of Charles Byrnes, clearly relished the testing underfoot conditions and he recorded a pillar-to-post success.

The 11-year-old was travelling best between the final two fences with King looking around for non-existent dangers coming to the last.

Although blundering there, Lite Duties still had little difficulty in accounting for Monty’s Meadow by four lengths.

Oscar Contender, meanwhile, more than acquitted himself by returning a further one length adrift in third.

Unlucky

“He was unlucky at Boulta in November as he would have gone very close but for making a mistake at the last that day. His jumping is coming together and he was a very classy track horse a few years ago. Fair play to his owner Eamonn Casey for persevering with him,” said Curling of Lite Duties.

The Co Tipperary duo completed their hat-trick by landing the winners of one with Templebredin (7/2), who finished a fine fourth on his previous start in the two-mile, six-furlong Limerick hunters chase over Christmas.

In command

Templebredin assumed command after the fourth last of the 16 obstacles. It was plainly apparent that the son of Stowaway, a Turtulla maiden victor in November, was containing runner-up Elusive Star on the run to the final fence, with three lengths separating the pair.

The winning handler disclosed that he expects Templebredin, representing Mary Teresa O’Brien from Thurles, will be more effective on better ground.

Curling and King initially combined to collect the five- and six-year-old mares’ maiden with Knockanora Damsel (4/1), who shaped with promise by finishing fourth on her solitary outing last season in Kildorrery.

Although having to be rousted along from half-way, Knockanora Damsel edged ever closer from three out.

A faster leap by runner-up No Fame No Game at the last took her to the front once more only for the victorious six-year-old to make her way to the lead as the line approached to score by a head in what was the closest finish of the afternoon.

Knockanora Damsel, owned and bred by brothers Gerard and Patrick Berkery from Toomevara, is now likely to contest a mares’ winners’ race.