THIS year has been a challenging year for Harry Rogers, having fractured his pelvis on the gallops back in February but Benkei has helped get the Ardee trainer back on his feet in more ways than one. The Jerry Nolan-owned gelding made it three wins this season by landing the featured It Pays To Bet With Tote Handicap.

The five-year-old son of Galileo is certainly versatile having won on quick ground at Navan back in May and handled much softer conditions here. Pat Smullen sent the easy-to-back 15/8 favourite on entering the straight in this mile and a half event, and he stayed on well inside the final furlong to beat Sweet Cherry by two and three-quarter lengths.

“It’s great to have Smullen on your side and he knows him inside out. I thought he was in trouble a furlong out but he picked up again,” said Rogers before adding: “He might just scrape into the one-mile, six-furlong (Petingo) handicap at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend and, if the ground is not too bad, he’ll run in the Cesarewitch.”

WINNERS

Colin Keane and Ger Lyons moved onto the 48 and 45 winner marks respectively for the campaign after sharing a first and last race double with Mint Chai and Chapter Seven.

Mint Chai is owned by Lyons’ chief patron Sean Jones, and the removal of blinkers and a mid-season break in which he was also gelded proved a winning formulae as the son of Roderic O’Connor who got off the mark at the fifth time of asking in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden. The 9/2 shot struck the front crossing the pathway 150 yards out, and kept on well to hold the odds-on favourite Ample Sufficiency by half a length.

“He wore blinkers the last day and just ran too free with them, so we gave him a break and we also gelded him. He was very professional there, and you would like to think an 83 rated horse would win a maiden,” said Lyons’ brother and assistant Shane.

TESTING CONDITIONS

Pearl Bloodstock’s Chapter Seven (11/8) relished the testing conditions in the Download The Free Racing Post Mobile App Race, stretching clear inside the final furlong to beat Altruistic by four and a half lengths.

Shane Lyons said: “You wouldn’t believe how well he works at home and the worse the ground gets the better for him. There is no point in running him on summer ground as he just won’t let himself down on it. He’s well entered up including the one-mile, six-furlong handicap at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend.’’

OVERNIGHT RAIN

Over an inch of rain fell overnight resulting in 22 horses being taken out due to the change in going (officially soft to heavy), and this proved fortunate on both counts for connections of Northern Surprise in division two of the Eva-Tec Ltd Handicap. “It’s great the rain came last night and luck was on our side to get in as a reserve,” said trainer Tim Doyle.

Owned and bred by James Monaghan, the four-year-old didn’t go unbacked at 14/1 and, after heading Its Harrys Girl a furlong out, held on well under pressure for Danny Grant to beat that rival by half a length. Doyle added, “He’s best when he can get his toe into it. He’s entered at Roscommon on Monday but we’ll see how he is as he may need more time. He’s won three now and is a nice horse when things fall his way.”

Cash Or Casualty gained a deserved win in division one of this mile event. The 11/10 favourite adopted his usual front-running tactics, and kept on under pressure after edging left from the centre of the track to score by nearly two lengths under Donagh O’Connor.

Winning trainer Damian English said: “He definitely deserved that and has been running super consistent all season. He’s gone up 5lb for his last two runs so we decided to claim off him. My father (Joe) sponsors the race so it’s perfect. He could go to Laytown and then on to Listowel.”

STRONG SPRINT

The well-bred Shanghai Beauty got off the mark by justifying 3/1 favouritism in the Download The At The Races App On iPhone Or Android Maiden. Robert Ng’s Jeremy filly came home strongly under Billy Lee in this sprint event to beat Well Done Me by a length and a quarter.

Winning trainer Ken Condon, who was soaked following a downpour which included some thunder and lightning, said: “Her dam is a half-sister to Bahamian Bounty so it was important to get a bracket. We put her into a listed race on just her second start last year and she finished fourth and she’s really never run poorly. She handles the ground and we’ll probably find a little handicap for her now.”

Eddie Lynam was in buoyant mood after saddling a winner for his long-time vet Con Kennedy as Dream Craft took the Indaver Maiden in convincing fashion. The 5/4 favourite asserted well over a furlong out under Chris Hayes to beat chief market rival Valac by a length and three quarters.

“This is a sweet winner as she is owned and bred by Con and Ann Kennedy. Con has been my vet for about 20 years as well as being the racecourse vet here and it’s nice to do him a turn. She may go to Listowel,” said Lynam.

SUCCESS

Missile Command was backed on track from 20/1 into half those odds prior to the Lougher Stables Handicap and duly provided Joe and Jane Foley with a homebred success. The seven-year-old gelding drifted left after challenging on the stands’ side a furlong out but Leigh Roche soon had him back on an even keel to beat fellow light-weight Western Seaboard by half a length.

“He loved the ground, and it’s great as he’s owned by Joe and we bred him as well. We’ll find another similar handicap,” said trainer Jane Foley.