MANY congratulations to multi-tasking owner John Millar whose Joseph O’Brien-trained Parana Delta defied odds of 33/1 to win the concluding mile handicap at Leopardstown on Thursday evening.

Ridden by Hugh Horgan, the British-bred Expert Eye filly was having her sixth career start but just her second on grass when holding on by half a length from the Dylan Browne McMonagle-ridden Quick Blessing.

Needless to say, John, who is best known to readers for driving the vet on duty around the track at Down Royal and for tightening girths at the start, was present at Leopardstown to greet his winner.

NEXT weekend’s two-day meeting at Downpatrick will once again have a Father’s Day theme on the Sunday and hopefully there is still a chance of buying Brownlow Suite hospitality packages to entertain one’s ‘Papa’. There are, of course, other options on offer.

The only locally-trained winner over the two days at last year’s fixture was I Don’t Get It who landed the Dunlop Homes Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Gearoid Brouder.

The Neill McCluskey-owned and trained Stowaway gelding, who got off the mark that afternoon, has since gone to win three more races – at Downpatrick, Down Royal and, most recently, Limerick.

The meeting was a week earlier last year so it was no surprise when the opener on the Sunday was called the ‘Early Fathers Day Celebrations Opportunity Maiden Hurdle’. They don’t miss a trick at Downpatrick!

THERE are plenty of shows on at present with classes for unraced thoroughbreds and ex-racehorses including Lurgan last Saturday.

The winner of the retraining class was the Sharon McKibben-ridden Risk All, a 16-year-old Great Palm gelding who ran once for owner/trainer Jerry Cosgrave in a Ballinrobe bumper in May 2012.

McKibben also rode the grey in the open class where he finished third behind the Grace Ann Elliott-partnered Adsup, a 12-year-old Ad Valorem gelding who pulled up in all three starts he made in point-to-point maidens in the spring of 2017 when trained by Stuart Crawford.

Second here was the Julie Donaghy Simpson-ridden Ballela To Milan, an eight-year-old Dylan Thomas gelding who ran once in a Downpatrick bumper for Cosgrave in March 2020 and pulled up on the last of three subsequent starts for Dermot McLoughlin later that year.

All three combinations have qualified for the All-Ireland Racehorse to Riding horse championship at Tullow show on Sunday, August 20th.