Dermot Weld and his 18-ear-old apprentice, Declan McDonogh, stole the limelight at Downpatrick yesterday when doubling up with newcomer Innovative Step and also taking the featured Cork Dry Gin Ulster Cesarewitch with Trade Dispute. McDonogh produced Innovative Step with a well-timed challenge inside the final furling to beat Puppet Play by a length in the Eastwood Bookmakers race. The Co Meath jockey gave Trade Dispute an enterprising ride in the feature, drawing clear on the home turn and keeping on well to hold Crystal Springs by one and a half lengths.
Weld, speaking by phone afterwards, said: "I will find something similar for him at the Listowel Festival meeting."
Paul Kinane was in hot water with the stewards after finishing third aboard Jessie's Boy in the Eastwood Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle. He was found guilty of using his whip with excessive force in the closing stages and suspended for four race days (September 9th, 11th, 14th and 16th).
Victory here went to the Neil Mulholland-ridden Blackburn , with Kilkenny trainer Eamon Sheehy outlining afterwards a £30,000 handicap hurdle at the Gowran Park Festival meeting in October as the main target before going over fences.
Ruby Walsh extended his lead at the head of the National Hunt riders' championship when recording winner number 16 of the campaign aboard Long Shot John, a narrow victor in the opening Morrison Homes Maiden Hurdle. The seven-year-old, trained on the Curragh by Gerry Stack, led after the second last but needed a strong drive from Walsh to just hold World O Good by a short head. Stack, who fitted a net muzzle on the entire horse as he takes a hard pull, indicated that a quick reappearance is on the cards in a handicap hurdle at Dundalk tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Paul Carberry continued his blistering winning streak at a rain-soaked Sligo when recording a double via Distinctly West and Fairy Mist to bring his tally for the current campaign to 12. Distinctly West, a three-time winner as a juvenile with Aidan O'Brien, provided the in-form Meathman with the opening leg of his brace when making all in the opening Locke's Irish Whiskey Maiden Hurdle.
"He wore a tongue-tie on the flat last time and it didn't seem to help him but it worked today. He likes everything to go right for him and he got everything his own way today," remarked winning trainer, Michael Halford.
The Union Food Distributors Handicap Chase was run in dour conditions and despite a terrible blunder by Fairy King at the first fence, Carberry soon got the grey back on an even keel. He jumped for fun thereafter and drew further away from his rivals after the third last to come home eased right down to a walk from topweight Corriblough. This was Carberry's fifth winner in three days .
Stephen Craine also notched a double sparked off aboard Kevin Prendergast's Matanah in the Mayo EBF Nursery Handicap. Sent off at 7 to 2, Craine shot the daughter of Machiavellian up on the rails to sweep past River Gorge to comfortably land the spoils.
Later he partnered the Pat Hughes-trained Lawz to land the Sligo Rated Race. Always prominent the pair edged to the front before the home turn before staying on in the very testing conditions to hold Gypsy Melody by a length and a half.
Easiest winner of the evening came in the shape of Sensitive which powered home in the hands of Niall McCullagh in the Strandhill Maiden to provide Curragh handler John Muldoon with his first success of the season.
