ROYAL Ascot winning combination trainer Gavin Cromwell and jockey Gary Carroll both recorded doubles at Tramore on Saturday, with the pair combining to win the opening Ashtown Stud Irish EBF (Fillies) Maiden with White Pepper (3/1).

White Pepper, carrying the colours of Maria McCullen Harvey, was contesting her 13th race and quickened in the closing stages to beat Little Bubbles by two and a half lengths.

Cromwell, whose Carroll-ridden Quick Suzy landed June’s Queen Mary Stakes, later reported: “She very much deserved that as she has been banging on the door.

“The handicapper put her up to a mark of 80 and I thought he was a little bit unkind to her. I thought she would struggle in a handicap on 80 but I’m delighted she won today. She is a grand filly, she deserved it because she tries hard. She had tons of experience.

“She has schooled over hurdles and she will probably jump a hurdle at some stage.”

Carroll double

Thirty-five minutes later jockey Carroll doubled his own score when landing the Dan Cowman Memorial Maiden on the Sheila Lavery-trained, well-backed Stellium (morning 16/1, returned 5/1).

The John Lavery-owned son of Elzaam was produced under a well-timed challenge, arriving from off the pace to beat Lusaka by three and a half lengths.

Carroll said: “Sheila liked him and said he ran a lovely race first time out at Galway in an amateur riders’ race. He was very green that day and he was very green around here.

“He has an engine, he picked up well and got to the line well. He won with his ears pricked. He rode like a nice horse and I think he will improve again.”

Versatile

An hour later trainer Cromwell was back with another winner, his fourth of the festival meeting, when his Aprils Joy (9/2 joint-favourite, for the Mick & Molly Syndicate) also benefitted from a patient ride, from jockey Conor Maxwell, to land the 12-furlong Strand Inn Dunmore Handicap.

Afterwards Cromwell reported: “I thought he had left her with too much to do but he said they went quick. I thought at the bottom of the hill that she wasn’t going to get there but in fairness she dug deep.

“She is very versatile and has even won a point-to-point. Her owners are from the Bellewstown area and there is a handicap hurdle in Bellewstown that she could potentially run in, but she is just not certain to get in.”

THE most valuable race was the €15,500 Brennan’s Pharmacy Handicap, which was won by father and son, trainer and jockey Eric McNamara and Emmet McNamara with the 16/1 shot Groveman.

Carrying the colours of the Scobie Wan Kenobi Racing Club, the Cork May hurdle race winner raced prominently when beating Sevenna Star by a length and a half.

McNamara senior later said: “We thought the track would suit him. He has made the running before and it suited him. Going through the race we didn’t see another front-runner and we thought we might be able to steal it from the front. It doesn’t always work but it did today. He was in great form and was very fit. He was only beaten four lengths in Galway in a very competitive race, so we thought coming here that he had his chance.”

Stable companions dominate

Trainer Emmet Mullins recorded a one-two in the Perennial Freight Tramore Handicap as bigger priced Gee Rex (10/1), under Mike O’Connor, went clear in the dip and held off the late challenge of runner-up Zero Ten (15/8 favourite) by half a length.

Mullins claimed Gee Rex for owner Sean Lucey for €15,000 at Dundalk last October and following this win said: “He has been disappointing over hurdles and slow out of the stalls but both those things were out of the way today.

“It was great to come here and get that opportunity and take advantage of it. He got to the front then and just battled off all comers and it was a good run from Zero Ten in second under a big weight.”

BIGGEST priced winner of the day came in the concluding Morris Builders DIY Handicap as the Andy McNamara-trained Majestic Jewel came from last to win at 20/1 under Siobhan Rutledge.

The winning daughter of Kingman was slowly away but Rutledge made gradual progress through the race to lead over a furlong out and beat Mastermind by two and three-quarters of a length.

McNamara later commented “Siobhan kept her good and wide and she got as fresh ground as there is out there and is seemed to pay off.

“We bought her thinking she’d be dual purpose but the hurdling hasn’t quite worked out. I’m not saying we will never go back to it but she just backs off her hurdles a little bit.”

New Zealand breeding

There was a Galileo-sired winner of the Core Bullion Traders Rated Race as the Fozzy Stack-trained, Toshihiro Matsumoto owned Sanosuke (5/1) won at the sixth attempt, under jockey Mark Enright.

The three-year-old colt was bred by Coolmore, and is out of New Zealand Group 2 winner Fix and Enright remarked: “He was a bit keen and it just took him time to adjust to the track. He was a little bit in my hands and I just kept him off the chopped-up ground. He deserved that.

“I’m delighted to win for Fozzy because he is looking after me well.”