AMATEUR rider Patrick Gleeson had an evening to remember at Roscommon on Tuesday when he scored his first track winner on Extensio (11/1) in the Coast To Curragh On August 26th Maiden Hurdle over just short of two miles.

It was a second winner in just four days for Limerick trainer Pat O’Donnell, who sent out Dragon Of Malta to win at Galway, and a hurdles debut win for the six-year-old gelding, who runs in the colours of the trainer’s wife Una.

Gleeson, a nephew of the trainer John Gleeson, held up Extensio in the early stages before gradually making ground up to the leaders down the back straight, and nothing travelled better into the straight. The pair went clear after the last before hanging left, but still held a three-and-a-quarter-length advantage at the line.

“I’m delighted,” O’Donnell said. “He has the form in the book. He’s tall at the withers but a slight horse so hulking 12st around in a hurdle was a worry. That’s why I took the 7lb off but I knew I had a nice lad taking it off.

“Patrick has been riding out with me most days once Aidan (O’Brien) has finished with him, he’s in Ballydoyle most mornings and he’s just finished his degree.

“It’s a big thing for me to win that race with a horse first time out over hurdles.”

Gracchus De Balme (Evens favourite) had fallen on each of his first two starts over fences but given a break, he was much better on his third try, which saw him through to a win in the J.F. Hanley Groundscare Beginners Chase over an extended two miles.

Joseph O’Brien’s gelding raced in second for much of the contest for JJ Slevin and was in a line of three in contention in the straight. He gained a slight advantage coming into the last and then surged clear on the run in to go five and a half lengths clear of Gentleman Joe.

The Michael Burke-owned gelding is a talented sort on his day, having finished second and third respectively to Ash Tree Meadow and Whatdeawant in Navan maiden hurdles, and now that he is fencing much better, he could progress into a smart operator in this sphere.

ON several occasions the veteran chaser and perennial front runner Rudy Catrail (3/1 favourite) looked set to be reeled in by his rivals in the three-mile-one-furlong Patrick Hennigan Memorial Handicap Chase, but Dusty Sheehy’s gelding was very game and denied the late thrust of Tullyhogue Fort to win by a head.

Shane Fenelon came in for the ride after the initial booked jockey Gavin Brouder injured himself in a fall the previous evening, and as is his wont, Rudy Catrail opened up a healthy advantage. He made a mistake at the third last and when the field closed in on him shortly after, it looked ominous, but he held on to make it win number five on his 52nd start.

“He’s a right old lad,” said Sheehy. “Coming down in class and up in trip ticked all the boxes and he loves soft ground. He’s getting old, he’s 12, and I’d say this will be his last year. He’s a good old servant and is the longest horse that’s been in the yard.

“He’s owned by a great bunch of owners (Well Horse Syndicate) that never hassle me. They’ve had loads of fun with him, he’s paid them back in spades. They’ll be happy men tonight, they couldn’t be here but they’ll be watching.”

Norwigi (7/4 favourite) had finished one place behind Rudy Catrail on her previous run and earlier she boosted that Killarney form with a comfortable win in the two-mile-five-furlong Larry O’Farrelly Memorial Handicap Chase.

After a slow start, the Enda Bolger-trained mare made ground through the field on the second circuit to get into a challenging position in the straight.

She landed just about in front at the second last and won the race from here, opening up a clear advantage over Agirlcalledchloe, before idling after the last to allow that lead to be whittled away to a length and a quarter.

“She’s hit the crossbar a couple of times and I’m just happy to win with her now,” said Bolger of the J.P. McManus-owned mare. “Her mother is a Grade 3 chase winner so for breeding that will be a big help.

“We might find something for her at Listowel and she is in Kilbeggan on Saturday as well.”

THE opening Railway Bar Maiden Hurdle went to the Gavin Cromwell-trained Lake Winnipesaukee (7/1) who was brought through stylishly by Keith Donoghue to score a comfortable five-and-a-half-length win over favourite Givago.

Donoghue held the Tom Phelan-owned gelding back in midfield and gradually made ground down the back straight to get into a challenging position on the outside coming into the straight. He led before the last and went away to win easily. The son of Arcadio had run well without winning in seven bumper starts but proved a different proposition over hurdles here.

“He was very quick and he’s obviously done plenty of schooling with Paddy and Jack (Kennedy) before he came to us,” Donoghue said. “Bumpers in Ireland are very hard to win when you have Willie and Gordon.

“He can be a little bit keen but the jumping helped him and he switched off well. Two and a half miles suited him.”

Hand Over Fist (11/2) is a horse very much going in the right direction and he made it two wins on the bounce for Henry de Bromhead and owner Denis Howard in the two-mile-seven-furlong Paul Byron Shoes Handicap Hurdle.

The six-year-old raced prominently for Mike O’Connor, and probably ended up in front sooner than his rider would have hoped for which was a function of how well he was travelling in a steadily run affair.

Once he got to the front, he always looked like holding off the chasing pack and is probably good value for a length and a half winning margin.

Handicapper

The handicapper won’t be able to go too mad and he looks well capable of scoring at least once more in the near future.

The closing Brian Keenan On-Course Bookmaker INH Flat Race was won by Portcammon (4/5 favourite) for Willie and Patrick Mullins.

The Dr Fitzgerald-owned gelding raced wide on the track before improving to challenge the leader at the end of the back straight. He took up an outright lead two furlongs from home and won comfortably by four and three quarter lengths from John McConnell’s Jackson Lamb in second.