CASTLEWELLAN’S Paul Rooney was present at Dundalk last Friday evening and had the pleasure of greeting two of his Michael Halford-trained runners back at the No 1 spot.

Both horses were ridden by Ronan Whelan who guided the 10/11 favourite Slieve Binnian to a career first victory on his fifth start in the one-mile William Hill Bet Boost Nursery.

Named after one of the Mourne mountains, the grey Awtaad gelding is out of the listed-winning Linamix mare Qertaas whose three previous winners include the Dansili gelding Muntahaa who numbered the Group 3 John Porter Stakes among his four successes.

The Rooney/Halford/Whelan double came up in the William Hill Racing Radio Handicap over a mile and a half where Ceallach also justified his position at the head of the market.

This was a second win for the three-year-old Lope De Vega gelding, four of whose eight starts have been at Dundalk Stadium.

At the Co Louth track on Wednesday, the colours of the Dr J Syndicate were carried to victory in the concluding six-furlong DKITSU Race Night Handicap by the Wayne Lordan-ridden, Natalia Lupini-trained favourite Dandyville.

The four-year-old Dandy Man gelding, who was recording his fourth success, was bred out of the Strategic Prince mare Lady Mandeville by Leslie Laverty for whom Lupini saddled his home-bred Lily Of The Glen to win at Dundalk earlier in the month.

Also on the flat breeding front, the Mastercraftsman gelding Circuit Elite fared best in a tight three-way finish to a nine-furlong handicap at Happy Valley, Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Out of the Stravinsky mare Bridge Note, an own-sister to the Group 1 winner Soldier’s Tale, the four-year-old was bred by Dean Harron in partnership with Ciaran Conroy.

Under National Hunt rules, there was a debut track success for the Elizabeth Hamilton-bred four-year-old filly Lets Go To Vegas (Getaway – Danielle’s Journey, by Presenting) at Market Rasen last Thursday week; the Anne Kirkwood-bred Jeremys Flame (Jeremy – Supreme Beneficial, by Beneficial) made it two wins from four starts over fences at Naas on Saturday in the Grade 3 Barberstown Castle Poplar Square Chase; while the Metcalfe family-bred Baddesley (Presenting – Fox Theatre, by King’s Theatre) bridged a gap of over three years when, on just his 10th career street, he added victory in a handicap hurdle at Plumpton on Monday to that in a bumper at Fontwell in October 2019.