SEVEN of the 10 meetings in Britain last weekend were held on Saturday with five Irish-breds winning at both Garthorpe and Ystradowen where there were seven-race cards.

At the Belvoir fixture in Garthorpe, the concluding two and a half-mile maiden for four, five, six and seven-year-olds was won by the 2010 Milan gelding Shamat who was having his fourth start between the flags having shown little in 11 outings on the track.

Of the Irish-bred quintet who scored at the Glamorgan meeting in Ystradowen, the four-runner club members’ conditions race was won by the Conor Orr-ridden Romeo Is Bleeding, an 11-year-old Carroll House gelding.

The second division of the older horses’ maiden went to the eight-year-old Golan gelding Mount Prospect, while the two and a half-miler for four, five and six-year-olds was won by Ann Scott, a 2011 Mr Dinos mare.

Shane Byrne saddled the British-bred A Country Mile to win the Skinner’s ladies open at Askham Bryan College under his partner Emma-Jane Hills.

Among the three winners carrying an IRE suffix was the nine-year-old Royal Anthem gelding Irish Anthem who brought up a first double in the novice riders’ race for Henry Crow, 16-year-old grandson of the chesnut’s trainer Sheila Crow.

There was a double for the rider/trainer combination of Ryan Nichol and Leonard Kerr at Overton Farm which they completed in the men’s open with the 12-year-old Old Vic gelding Chicago Outfit. The three-mile maiden here for six-year-olds and upwards went to the nine-year-old Oscar gelding Time For Vino.

There were small fields at Horseheath where sister and brother Gina and Jack Andrews recorded doubles.

GOOD STRIKE

Keeping up their good strike rate this season, the Hertfordshire-based Irish team of trainer Thomas Gallagher and owner John Reddington won the men’s open with another nine-year-old Oscar gelding, Mr Raj.

At the V.W.H. meeting in Siddington, the three Irish-bred winners included the eight-year-old Dr Massini gelding Brass In Pocket who landed the concluding open maiden under James King. The bay was sourced though J.D. Moore.

Co Meath’s Martin McIntyre partnered the British-bred Champagne Rosie to win the club members’ race at Milborne St Andrew where the two Irish-bred winners provided a double for the trainer/rider duo of Jack Barber and Will Biddick.

The pair struck first in the restricted with the 4/6 favourite Ballyknock Cloud, a six-year-old Cloudings gelding, and completed the brace in the two and a half-mile maiden for six-year-olds and upwards with the 4/5 shot Clenagh Castle, a 2010 King’s Theatre gelding.

A huge crowd attended Sunday’s meeting at Maisemore Park where there were four wins for Irish-breds on the eight-race card.

The first came in the opening four, five and six-year-old maiden over two miles, five furlongs where Tommie O’Brien, who later completed a double, claimed the spoils on newcomer Blackbow, a 2013 gelding by Stowaway, trained by Sophie Lacey.

RECORD KING

Another rider to record a double here was James King who completed it in the intermediate on the eight-year-old Milan gelding Moral Hazard.

There were doubles at Ston Easton on Sunday for Lorcan Williams and Will Biddick while one of three Irish-bred winners on the six-race card was the six-year-old Scorpion gelding Emperor Renard who made all to land the concluding open maiden under Sean Houlihan.

Only one of the seven races at Penshurst on Sunday wasn’t won by an Irish-bred horse. Charlie Marshall brought up a double in the four-runner men’s open on the 4/7 favourite Conkies Lad, an 11-year-old by Aahsaylad, while Tabitha Worsley completed her double in the Connolly’s Red Mills intermediate on the outsider Carry On Asian, an eight-year-old Asian Heights gelding.

Phil Hall, who recently retired from riding, saddled his first winner since hanging up his boots when the six-year-old Tikkanen gelding Lickety Split landed the concluding Subaru restricted.