DONAGH O’Connor’s whirlwind start to 2022 continued apace as the winter season’s top rider notched up his second double in a fortnight which he completed on the highly-tried Luke Comer inmate Seattle Creek.

This Harzand-owned colt contested the Irish St Leger on his second outing last September, which was the only time that he had finished outside the first four in five outings, and he bagged a well-deserved success in the mile-and-a-half maiden.

In first time cheek-pieces, the 100/30 shot launched a sustained bid nearing the straight which carried him to the front with a quarter of a mile to run and he stuck to his task in likeable fashion to defeat the odds-on Elzaamsan by a length and a half.

“He’s a half-brother to Raa Atoll who won a Group 2 for us in Germany and he wasn’t a real horse until he was four,” remarked Comer’s assistant Jim Gorman. “He was a weak horse last year but I think this will be his year and he will get further.”

O’Connor was earlier successful on David Marnane’s Jered Maddox (20/1) in the 45-65 rated six-furlong handicap.

Now a three-time winner, the City Equine Syndicate-owned winner had the entire field to pass turning for home and that remained the case as the last furlong loomed but he came with a tremendous charge down the outer to sweep to the front late on and prevail by a length and three-parts.

Flynn win

Elsewhere on the card, Paul Flynn and his daughter, Ciara, combined successfully for the second time this winter as Power Drive (13/2) secured a fifth career success in the second divide of the 10-furlong handicap.

Just as he did on the opening day of the winter season, the John Eastwood-owned gelding made all and he had the field at full stretch early in the straight before getting home by two and a half-lengths from Fox Leicester.

Power Drive was defying a 9lb hike in the ratings for his last success while the winning rider turned 21 on Tuesday.

Daintree continues Coogan’s run

A FINE start to the year for Jimmy Coogan yielded a third winner in as many weeks as Daintree captured the five-furlong three-year-old rated race where her effort marked her out as a filly who is firmly on the up.

The Emmanuel Hughes-owned and Nathan Crosse-ridden daughter of Dandy Man was looking to follow up a recent course-and-distance success but was all wrong at the weights with four of her five rivals which meant that she was allowed to go off at 12/1.

This mattered little as she came with a strong challenge to lead over a furlong from home and the 59 rated filly hit the line a length and three-parts ahead of the 77-rated Hypernova who was giving her just 3lb when the respective rider’s claims are taken into account.

“She’s improving with every run. I’d say the handicapper won’t miss her now but that’s two she’s won now so it’s great,” reflected Coogan.

Looking down

“Emmanuel’s mother bred her and I’m sure she was looking down on her. We only buried her last Wednesday. I’ve been training horses for the Hughes family for 30 years so this is a great result.”

Another horse enjoying a good winter at Dundalk is Ger O’Leary’s Adamaris (9/1) who added to his pre-Christmas victory in the two-mile handicap.

King Of Cashel, who chased home the winner here last time, gave this a good go from the front but he succumbed to the patiently ridden Adamaris and Rory Cleary deep inside the final furlong. Nibiru finished off well to take the runner-up spot but was still a length adrift of the Lance Bloodstock-owned five-year-old.

“It was a lovely ride from Rory and he did it nicely. We’ll look for another race over a similar trip and I think there are more races in him,” remarked O’Leary.

Kevin Manning made his first ride of the year a winning one as Ano Syra enjoyed a straightforward success in the three-year-old six-furlong maiden where the evens favourite continued her progression.

A runner-up here on her last two starts, the Charlotte Musgrave-owned daughter of Kodiac went straight to the front. The 80-rated Obtain, who had 7lb to spare over the winner on official ratings, loomed up travelling strongly with two furlongs to run but once Ano Syra came under pressure she responded willingly to forge on.

Johnny Feane’s charge went to the line in likeable fashion to carry the day by a length and three-parts.

McGuinness and Whelan double up

THE formidable alliance of Adrian McGuinness and Ronan Whelan combined for a double which began with Alhaajeb (8/1) in the first divide of the extended 10-furlong handicap.

The 61-rated four-year-old was getting back to the form that carried him into second in a similar event back in November as he led inside the final furlong for a neck success over No Show.

The winner is owned by the trainer’s long standing patron Edward Battersby and was getting off the mark in Ireland at the ninth attempt.

The double was completed by Skontonovski in the 45-75 rated mile handicap where the Mark Devlin-owned winner continued his steady rise up the ratings.

After being picked up for 6,500gns at the July Sale, Skontonovski has now won four times and taken his earnings to just short of €30,000. The well-backed 4/1 shot was nicely placed and going well on the heels of the leaders in the straight and when he was asked to pick up in the closing stages he asserted to defeat Crystal Dawn by a length and serve notice that there could yet be more to come from him.