WILLIE Mullins made it four feature race victories in five days in the €100,000 Guinness Handicap but not in the order the market expected as Nessun Dorma sprung a mild surprise under a masterful ride from Billy Lee.

A third winner of this race in four years for Mullins, the five-year-old came here off a win in a Ballinrobe maiden and he needed to improve on that as he stepped up to premier handicap level to take on a field headed by Limini. Nessun Dorma was allowed to go off at 14/1, while Limini dominated the market at evens following her second to Uradel in the Monday night feature.

Nessun Dorma made the most of his low draw by going straight to the front for Billy Lee and the pair were able to dictate a tempo to suit themselves. Limini was also nicely placed in a forward position although she dropped back a couple of places nearing the last half mile.

On the approach to the straight, Billy Lee began to wind up the tempo and his mount with a handy lead over the chasing Princess Yaiza and Limini.

The leader always seemed to be doing enough to keep the closing pack at bay and clung on gamely as the line loomed to hold Princess Yaiza by a neck for owner Niall Kennelly. Limini was a further length and a quarter back in third with the top-weight, Gustavus Vassa, making it a one-three-four for the Mullins.

“He’s improved a bit from that win in Ballinrobe,” said Mullins. “It was one of those races where they were all watching one another but Billy rode a waiting race from the front and kept a bit up his sleeve. I would imagine that we will look at all the good flat handicaps with and races like the handicap at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend and the Cesarewitch will be there for him.”

Mullins then moved into double figures for the week as Wicklow Brave disposed of his four overmatched rivals in the Rockshore Race. The nine-year-old had upwards of 16lbs to spare on official ratings and had little difficulty in justifying 1/6 favouritsm under Colin Keane. As he looked to make it 12 career wins, the nine-year-old eased into the lead before the straight before a smooth three-and-a-half-length defeat of Morga.

“He’s an extraordinary horse. We bought him with a view to winning bumpers and he’s won a County Hurdle, a Punchestown Champion Hurdle, an Irish St Leger and he’s been down to Melbourne as well,” commented Mullins.

“He has his own ideas about how to do things so we try not to have too many arguments with him.

“I’d like to find another race like this for him and his owner, Nick (Peacock), is keen to go chasing with him. Only for the drought we had he probably would have gone chasing by now. He’s got lots of options but he might stick to the flat for the time being.”

Dermot Weld and Declan McDonogh also ended the evening with a double and the trainer was looking forward to stepping up Lure Of The Sea in class following the 8/11 favourite’s triumph in the Guinness Irish EBF Fillies Maiden.

The Calumet Farm-owned and bred filly was returning to the track two months after her debut second in a Curragh maiden.

Declan McDonogh’s mount made her debut on quick ground but she coped with altogether slower conditions for this mile and a half contest. Lure Of The Sea had to work to get on terms with She Got Fast, who led the field into the straight, but she got on top at the furlong pole and pulled away late on to cross the line two and a half lengths ahead of the staying-on Cascabel.

“The ground wasn’t ideal for her but she’s got the ability to progress and be a stakes filly,” stated Weld. “She was very immature as a two-year-old but she’s a lovely, big filly with a future. She’ll be a better filly on better ground.”

WELD DOUBLE

The opening leg of the Weld and McDonogh double came when Zuenoon justified 13/8 favouritism in the James’s Gate Irish EBF Median Auction Maiden.

The Aga Khan-owned colt was looking to build on a promising debut fourth at Limerick almost two months previously and he looked to have this race in safe keeping when he shot clear of the field on the run to the last furlong.

Zuenoon wasn’t doing much in front late on and Cosmic Horizon finished off with quite a flourish which meant that the winning margin was just half a length. However, the winner was value for more than the bare result suggests.

“He progressed from a nice first run at Limerick. He did get a bit tired going to the line but he’s done that well. He’s big, strong colt and we’ll see how he progresses before making plans,” observed Weld.

COMPENSATION

After meeting with an unlucky defeat at Limerick last month Snugsborough Benny gained compensation in the Guinness Galway Blazers Handicap Chase.

The 5/1 joint-favourite continued his progress over fences with an assured display in a competitive handicap which would bode well for his prospects of landing an even better prize.

This contest, which was run over the Plate course and distance, is never short of drama – and there were a number casualties over the course of the race – but Denis O’Regan and Snugsborough Benny stayed out of trouble and emerged as the strongest challengers to the front-running A Rated as the leaders left the last two fences behind them.

A Rated battled on gamely but he was eventually subdued by Snugsborough Benny inside the last furlong and the latter prevailed by a length.

“They went quick and I wasn’t sure if this horse would handle the ground as it’s a bit on the dead side but he got a lovely ride from Denis who got him into a nice rhythm and had him going forward at every opportunity,” reflected Liam Cusack who trains the eight-year-old for his breeder, Raymond Loughnane. “

He’s not a horse you can hit the front on too soon but Denis timed it to perfection. It’s great to get a winner here in what was a very competitive race.”

SECOND YEAR

For the second year in succession, Top Othe Ra (9/2) landed the Guinness Handicap Hurdle for Tom Mullins and his son David. The admirable 10-year-old, who also won a bumper here in 2013, produced a typically resolute effort. He dug deep from the turn in to hold a fractional lead over the last and kept finding more on the run-in to hold last year’s third, Stormey, and On The Go Again by a neck and three-quarters of a length respectively.

“I was raging that he didn’t get into the Galway Hurdle (third reserve) but I’m thrilled to bits with this and he’s a great little horse,” commented Mullins, whose wife Helen owns the winner.

A dozen years to the day after his dam, Dani’s Girl, won at the festival, Dani’s Boy struck gold in the one-mile Arthur Guinness Handicap. Like Dani’s Girl, this son of Arakan is trained by Pat Fahy and owned by Kinnegad-based Clive Craig, and he took a marked step forward on the form of his first four runs.

Shane Foley made the running on the 16/1 chance, who responded very well to pressure to shake off the challenge of Karannelle entering the last furlong. Dani’s Boy, who chased home Elysian Plains in a Fairyhouse claimer last time, was idling in front and this meant that the hat-trick-chasing Cache Queen was bearing down as the line loomed, but the leader held on by half a length.

“It’s history repeating itself and it’s great. It’s great for the owner, this means a lot to him,” remarked Fahy. “Thank God he wasn’t claimed last time and he must be good as that’s his first handicap run.”

ACTING STEWARDS

M.C. Hickey, D. Pugh, M. Hillman, A. Ryan, M.F. O’Donoghue

HORSE TO FOLLOW

A RATED (H. de Bromhead): This gelding posted a commendable effort from the front in the Galway Blazers where he finished a close second having tried to give weight to all his rivals bar one. A good prize over fences deserves to come his way.

Jockeys’ bans

RICHIE Deegan was given a three-day whip after partnering Mine Now into third in the Galway Blazers Handicap Chase, and Donie McInerney got a one-day whip suspension after partnering Dr Mikey into fourth in the handicap hurdle won by Top Othe Ra.

Harness infringement

DONNACHA O’Brien was hit with a seven-day suspension after he attempted to weigh out without the harness attachment on his back protector before riding Queen Iseult in the fillies’ maiden. The rider reported it was an oversight on his part but the stewards found him to be in breach of Rule 198 (v).

Dunne’s lack of standard of care

TRAINER David Dunne was slapped with a €1,500 fine after the stewards considered a report from I.H.R.B. security team member D. O’Meara regarding the stabling of the Dunne-trained Vodka Society which had run at the track on the previous afternoon.

Mr. O’Meara stated that after reporting for duty today (Friday) he observed a horse stabled in box 90. In his opinion the stable was in a deplorable condition. A half bale of shavings which was left in the stable had not been spread, the stable appeared wet and there was a lot of dung present.

There was tack on the floor of the stable and on further examination he discovered the passport for the horse, Vodka Society. He didn’t observe any feed but there was some water present. He presented digital photographs of the condition of the stable to the stewards.

In his evidence Dunne stated that following the running of Vodka Society, it had been his intention to have the horse transported home that evening. However the various arrangements for this had fallen through and the horse was left at the racecourse overnight.

He stated that he last attended the horse at 8pm on Thursday and he did not return to the horse until 2.15pm on Friday.

He stated that an unforeseen chain of events had occurred which meant that his standard of care as a trainer had fallen short of what it should have been and he was embarrassed to be in the stewards’ room for a matter of this nature. The stewards found him in breach of Rule 148 (i) and Rule 272 and having considered his previous clean record in this regard, the €1,500 fine was imposed.