HAVING partnered two second-placed horses, both for Liam Lennon, at Toomebridge on Saturday, Noel McParlan had a similar start the following afternoon at Castletown-Geoghegan where he filled the runner-up spot in the five- and six-year-old mares’ maiden on Drumlees Pet.

That Golden Lariat grey, a newcomer who was beaten by just half a length, is owned and trained by McParlan’s father Sean who subsequently gave his son the leg-up on Out Of Exile, the three-length winner, on his fourth start, of the Tattersalls Ireland five- and six-year-old geldings’ maiden.

A 2015 bay by Mahler, Out Of Exile was knocked down for €23,000 at the 2018 Derby Sale to former amateur, and one-time professional jockey, Steven Clements, who retired from the saddle at the end of 2017. He is out of the unraced British-bred Riverwise mare Drama Chick, a full-sister to Rooster Booster.

Noel, who had his first rides of the season at Toomebridge, brought up win number two for the campaign when completing a double on Sunday in the concluding six-year-old and upwards maiden on Le Pogues Storm.

Left clear to score by 15 lengths following the final-fence fall of the disputing Jerry Cosgrave-trained Slieve Donard, the winner is trained by Colin McBratney for his brother David who also bred the September Storm six-year-old. The brown gelding is the fourth of just five recorded foals out of the Chakiris mare Leapogues Lady who Colin sent out to score twice over hurdles.

Before those two victories for McParlan, Derrylin trainer David Christie maintained his good start to the season when saddling Ray Nicholas’s Handy Headon to claim the winners of two. The eight-year-old Well Chosen gelding was having just his second start for his present connections.

Christie has entered Nicholas’s Eddies Miracle and Marinero for the open at Moira this afternoon.