SIMON Torrens, benefitting from Mark Walsh’s enforced spell on the sidelines, partnered three winners for owner J.P. McManus in the period under review, all at Punchestown but for three different trainers.

While the second two were welcomed by favourite backers, Torrens’ victory on Enda Bolger’s charge Stealthy Tom in Sunday’s opening ARKequine Aquatabs Inline P.P. Hogan Memorial Cross Country Chase was the most exciting to watch.

Under a well-timed ride, the eight-year-old Yeats gelding grabbed the lead with a good jump at the last before staying on well to score by one and a half lengths from the 7/2 favourite, Singing Banjo.

The latter, a 13-year-old Generous gelding bred by Joseph Cunningham, put in his only poor jump at the final fence which possibly cost him the race.

Castlederg native Torrens finished fourth in the QuinnBet Grand National Trial Handicap Chase on the Bolger-trained Champagne Platinum before joining forces with Patrick Foley to land the David Trundley Artist At Punchestown Handicap Hurdle with McManus’ home-bred 5/2 favourite, Verdant Place.

On Wednesday, the last meeting at Punchestown before the Festival, Torrens had four rides and scored on the last of these, the Michael Hourigan-trained The Connector who saw off the Noel Kelly-trained, Jody McGarvey-ridden Herculaneum by two and a quarter lengths.

Another McManus home-bred, the Walk In The Park gelding provided Torrens with his 22nd win of the season.

Britain

On the National Hunt jockey scene in Britain, Downpatrick-born Danny McMenamin rode four winners between last Friday week and Wednesday. His fourth success came on the Neil Mulholland-trained Great Snow which landed the three-mile maiden hurdle at Ludlow.

While there was much talk about the return to racing of Oisin Murphy, Co Donegal’s Oisin Orr rode a winner a day, apart from Sunday, in the same time period.