GER Lyons enjoyed a good evening with a double which was supplied by a couple of useful three-year-olds and the trainer’s brace was brought up by the intriguing Janoobi and Colin Keane in the mile maiden.

This recruit from Shadwell was beaten just a neck on his Irish debut at Leopardstown last month and that run coupled with a runner-up finish on his initial outing at Nottingham last autumn put the Night Of Thunder colt on a different footing to these rivals.

This was reflected in a starting price of 1/8 and Janoobi, who is owned by Sean Jones, David Spratt and the trainer’s wife Lynne, enjoyed a straight-forward run. He was in control of this race at all stages and ran out an easy three and a quarter-length winner.

“He’s a nice horse and I’d say he will be a better horse in a better race,” said the winning rider. “He’s a big horse who probably wouldn’t want firm in the going description and he’s got a high cruising speed with a nice turn of foot.”

Soul strikes

The Lyons-trained Neo Soul (13/2), for the same ownership triumvirate, struck under Gary Carroll in the five-furlong three-year-old handicap. This capable son of Kodiac progressed nicely from a runner-up finish on his comeback at Bellewstown last month to win this with something to spare.

After keeping close to the pace, Neo Soul eventually took over the lead and, despite flashing his tail a couple of times, he went to the line well to see off the top-weight Red Lacewing by a length and a half.

The winner was fitted with blinkers for the first time since winning a maiden at Dundalk in November and this very reliable sort will continue to pay his way in sprint handicaps throughout the season.

AN already bright season for Paddy Twomey yielded further cheer for the trainer with his first two-year-old winner of the season, Open Market, looking the part in the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maiden over five-furlongs.

The Newtown Anner Stud-owned and bred daughter of Starspangledbanner, who is an own-sister to the formerly Irish-based Grade 1-placed American turf runner Great Wide Open, did everything at her ease.

From an early stage this 10/1 shot looked to be tanking along towards the head of the field and while she always appeared to be in her comfort zone the same could not be said of her rivals. One by one they came under strong pressure and gave best with the twice-raced and twice-placed Midnight Toker doing best of the chasing pack to finish a three-quarter length second.

“She’s my first runner for Newtown Anner Stud and we worked her once or twice and she showed us plenty,” reported Twomey. “I was just hoping she was ready to start and if she put it together, I thought she could win. She will be kept sprinting but if she strengthens up she could stay further.”

Excellent Oasis

An excellent month for Urban Oasis continued in the 10-furlong 47-65 rated apprentice handicap where the three-year-old was making it three wins in as many weeks.

The 5/4 favourite was 22lb higher than when first successful but that mattered little to the Reggie Roberts-owned and bred gelding who was once again ridden by Jamie Powell.

Urban Oasis made short work of these opponents to score by five and a half lengths as he maintained his upward trajectory in fine style.

“He won well again and I hate criticising races but it didn’t look the strongest of contests and he was entitled to win. He is a three-year-old on the up, he liked the ground and we’ll see what the handicapper does,” stated Feane.

IT was a memorable evening for jockey Donagh O’Connor who reeled off the first treble of his career and two of those victories were supplied by John McConnell.

The latter’s Hernes Hill (20/1) kicked off the rider’s evening in the opening six-furlong maiden.

This Matthew Rogers-owned son of Ardad was placed in two Dundalk maidens last autumn and earned a rating of 74 for those efforts but he was still one of the longer priced runners as he tackled an ease in the ground for the first time.

The always prominent son of Ardad started to come under strong pressure after halfway but he responded generously to Donagh O’Connor’s promptings to eventually defeat Shoebox King by a length and a quarter with the 4/9 favourite Relevant Range a further neck back.

“He was a big, weak horse last year and has a fine big frame which he has filled into and he has been working well at home. The unknown was the ground but he handled it,” declared the winning jockey.

Positive Cross

McConnell was also responsible for the concluding leg of the treble as Fennor Cross made it three wins from his last four starts in the 10-furlong 47-65 rated handicap.

On his first outing since October, this five-year-old looks a horse on the up as he came from well back turning in to strike the front in the last furlong in a steadily-run affair, defeating Miss Cunning by half a length.

The Positivity Syndicate-owned gelding was returned at 9/2 on just the ninth outing of his career.

Shawaamekh’s debut

Donagh O’Connor also struck on the Johnny Levins-trained Shawaamekh (28/1) in the 22-runner seven-furlong handicap.

A 90-rated runner at his peak and a three-time winner in Britain, the eight-year-old was making his debut for Levins and hadn’t won since August 2019.

He was always showing up well in the stand’s side group though and finished off well to reach the line three-quarters of a length ahead of the 80/1 chance Numoor who was subsequently disqualified as his rider Cillian McConnell weighed in 1.2lb light.

“I got him on the recommendation of Declan Carroll and (jockey) David Nolan as his owner was replacing him with yearlings and I’ve loved him since the day he came in the yard,” stated Levins afterwards.

“I’d love to find something in York for him if he continues to go the right way as he has run well there in the past.

“There is a good bunch of lads involved, Ross Howard, John O’Riordan and Jason McGannon so I’m delighted to get a winner for them.”