BILLY Lee completed a Dundalk double last Friday week, with last year’s jockeys’ championship runner-up riding winners for trainers Michael O’Callaghan and Michael Halford.

Lee began by winning the Join Us On Instagram Maiden on O’Callaghan’s News At Ten (9/4), which was the rider’s second success for the trainer, who also owns the winner.

Following the race Lee said: “It was a lovely race to ride, we went a nice strong pace. he travelled nicely and had loads of running room turning in. He picked up well, I was just biding my time to get there as coming up the stands’ side, I had nothing to aim at.

“When I got stuck into him, he picked up well. Michael said he would get the mile well and I felt he got it well and he’ll get a strong mile no problem. He’s a nice horse and he is one to look forward to.”

Ninety minutes later Lee doubled up when steering Halford’s Doctor Grace (5/2) to win the Book Online @ DundalkStadium.com Handicap, for owner/breeders the Dundalk Racing Club.

The Buratino filly was slowly away but finished strongly, beating Knockmoe Prince by three and a quarter lengths.

Halford said: “Doctor Grace had a poor start the last night in a grade higher, and got further back than ideal and had to come around them. She was back in that grade tonight, we thought it looked good and she had a lovely draw.

“I’m delighted for the Dundalk Racing Club. It is the first horse I’ve had for them but they are a long time on the go.”

Popular win

There was a popular winner of the Floodlit Friday Nights At Dundalk Handicap as former Irish Lincoln winner Bowerman (8/1) returned to winning ways under a patient Chris Hayes ride.

A 2020 Group 3 winner, Bowerman’s rating had fallen from 92 to 73 following 12 unsuccessful runs in as many recent months and trainer Ado McGuinness said: “We were contemplating whether to retire him before Christmas and we’ll probably keep him going now and try him on the grass and he might come up here again.

“He has been some servant to me. Myself and Stephen (Thorne, assistant) bought him off the lads (Total Recall Racing Club) because we put them into a fresher horse and I didn’t want a horse like him going into claimers.

“He deserves a good life when he is finished and will retire probably this year at some stage.”

Hot streak

Wonder Spirit (12/1) continued local two-horse trainer George Kingston’s hot streak as he recouped some pre-Christmas losses in winning the Follow On Twitter Handicap.

Ridden by James Ryan, the five-year-old was involved in a three-way finish and scored by a neck and a neck, from runner-up Satono Chevalier and Power Drive

Kingston’s other horse Hero Of The Hour won at the track last week and revealed: “We only have the two to run and a couple of horses to break but keep trucking away. Two from two will do!”

“He is a grand little horse and the day before Christmas was supposed to be the Santa Claus money but we hit the crossbar.”

“James Ryan (jockey) is a good chap and you have to be sensible on the horse - it is not just a matter of letting him on. He held him and judged it.

“I didn’t actually know crossing the line, but thankfully we got it.”

Racing began with the Leading Trainer&Jockey Championship Handicap, where Mehman defeated stablemate Primo Uomo for a second successive month in a ‘1-2’ for trainer Ger O’Leary.

Mehman defeated Primo Uomo to land a gamble on January 4th, scoring by a neck and today stretched that winning distance to three lengths, scoring easily from his same stablemate.

O’Leary said: “It is a long time since I didn’t have to roar or shout or get excited! It was over wasn’t it.

“He travelled like a dream and Mark (Enright, winning jockey) said he thought he was as dead as a doornail going to the start but was just asleep.”

He added: “we’ll come back here in two weeks for a five furlong (0-95 handicap) and then we will take it from there.

“Mark said he will get six (furlongs) but to stick to five for the time being anyway. Wearing the red hood (going down to the start) is a big help to him as well.”

Lavery’s confidence boost

THE Sheila Lavery-trained, Royal Racing Club-owned Solar Breeze was a well-backed (12s - 11/2) winner of the View Restaurant At Dundalk (Fillies) Maiden, gaining her first success at the 10th attempt, under Robbie Colgan.

Lavery said: “Nothing has ever been wrong with her but she has just been unlucky not to have won a race.

“We weren’t sure would she handle the surface so was I full of confidence, no. I ran three horses on Wednesday and they ran appallingly, so I wasn’t full of confidence.

“She did that really well and Robbie (Colgan) said she liked the surface so I’ll just have a look at the programme.”

Mulgrave was another well supported winner (morning 8/1, returned 4/1), landing the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap for trainer John McConnell and jockey Donagh O’Connor.

Successful twice in December 2021, the son of Mehmas scored by a length and a half from Jered Maddox with jockey O’Connor reporting: “It was key to him both this time and last time that he got strong paces to run at.

“To be fair to John, the team and all the owners (Malachy Trainor & Eithne McMorrow & Gabriel Byrne & Turnings Syndicate), they have been very patient with him and got him back doing things right, because mid-way through the season he was gone the wrong way on us. Last winter you thought he would be a progressive type, they are after getting him back and hopefully he can go on again.”

The concluding Follow On Twitter Handicap (Division 2) was won by father/son, trainer/jockey combination Conor O’Dwyer and Charlie O’Dwyer with Barretstown (8/1), which bridged a two-year gap between wins.

The five-year-old was ending a 17-race losing spell and held on for an all-out head success from Clever Capall.

Trainer O’Dwyer said; “He has always threatened to win and has been unlucky. He has always been a great servant and the Ladies First Syndicate had him initially but one of the original members Anne Kane kept him, so I’m delighted she did.

“He was down to 58 today and was entitled to do it but it was a game performance.”