AN excellent July Festival for Listowel-born jockey Kevin Brouder ended on a high as he bagged his third winner of the meeting and his second feature race courtesy of Lucky Icon in the Dawn Milk Run Handicap Hurdle.

This victory moved Brouder on to the 10-winner mark for the season and the jockey enjoyed a most straightforward time on this five-year-old who was winning his first race for 14 months for trainer Tom Mullins.

The 4/1 shot, who is owned by the trainer’s wife Helen, had shown up well in a couple of decent handicaps earlier this year and he was able to dictate a tempo to suit himself before quickening up in the closing stages to make sure of victory. The son of Sixties Icon finished with two lengths to spare over the 25/1 shot Mr Picotee.

“Things are going well and hopefully I can stay injury free now,” remarked the rider who was notching up his first winner for Mullins.

“This horse did that well. He went a nice gallop, jumped from hurdle to hurdle and picked up well.”

Three winners

Earlier in the day Tom Mullins’ son David made it three winners in five days on the talented Shanning who enjoyed the perfect warm up for Galway with a leisurely success in the Abode Living Irish EBF Mares Hurdle over two and a half miles.

The Willie Mullins inmate was placed in a succession of good handicap hurdles last autumn and this four-runner affair looked a gilt-edged opportunity for her to record her first success since October 2017.

The Guinness Galway Hurdle entrant was a 1/2 chance and she eased away from stablemate Pravalaguna after two out to win by five and a half lengths.

Cathal Landers, like his colleague David Mullins, spent time on the sidelines earlier this summer and he made it two winners since returning from injury last Friday as the well named You Can’t Catch Me won the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle.

The 12/1 got loose on the lead with the result that his rivals could never get close enough to land a telling blow and he ran out a resounding 12-length winner. This was a seventh career success for the 10-year-old who was returning from two months off.

“I wasn’t expecting that but he is a better horse fresh and we’ll try to freshen him up again now and go somewhere in a few weeks,” reported Kieran Purcell who trains the gelding for his daughter Elaine.

THE rampant form of Gavin Cromwell’s runners set punters a poser in the two-and-a-half-mile 80-102 rated Dawn Hi & Lo Milk Handicap Hurdle as he saddled recent winners Lucky Road (7/2) and Peaches And Cream (5/4) and the former followed-up Sunday’s success at Sligo.

Lucky Road, who is owned by the Louth-based Lucky Seven Syndicate, had to carry a 5lb penalty but was actually 10lbs well-in relative to his revised rating. In what looked a warm event for this grade, the Conor McNamara-ridden gelding dug deep late on to consign Give Battle to a second runner-up finish in six days.

Better luck

A deserved change in fortune was in store for Rathmoylan-based trainer Nigel Slevin in the Dawn Milk Omega Maiden Hurdle where Whenurgoodurgood obliged under Conor Orr. Three of the trainer’s last five runners had to settle for second and two of them had been beaten a neck, but this 5/2 favourite came out the right side of a tight finish as he accounted for the 66/1 shot Westmead by a neck.

The victorious seven-year-old is owned by Thomas Kelly and Lesley-Anne Fox.

“He’s been green and backward and has just taken time but he’s a nice horse and he’ll be able to jump a fence in time,” remarked Slevin.

A GOOD day for the Mullins family saw Emmet and his cousin Patrick combine to land the Europe Hotel Killarney Flat Race with the newcomer Giovanni Change (9/2). This son of French Fifteen went to the front with over a circuit to run and looked to be in control of this race for the duration of the straight, eventually defeating the twice-placed Watch Guard by just under four lengths.

“It’s a little bit of a surprise. He’s been at home for a while and has been something of a slow burner but he has a nice way of going and the further he goes the better. He could well make a winter horse too as he wouldn’t mind the ground slower,” declared Emmet Mullins, whose charge is owned by Paul Byrne.

It was also a day to savour for the Madden family as Forgetthhesurprise took the Christy Lucey Transport Limited Ladies Pro/Am Flat Race.

This filly was trained by Niall Madden for his daughter Sarah Ann, she was bred by the trainer’s wife Patricia, and for good measure was ridden by the trainer’s future daughter-in-law Aine O’Connor.

The 4/1 shot built on a close fourth to Cabin Hill at Wexford last month as she took charge of this race inside the distance to defeat the front-running Cast In Grey by two and three-quarter lengths.

The odds-on Wings Of Destiny could only manage fifth. Maxine O’Sullivan was given a three-day suspension for her efforts on the sixth-placed Springfield Lodge.