BALLYMENA trainer Gerald Quinn saddled his first two runners in Britain last Saturday and left Perth racecourse with a winner and a second-placed horse to his credit.

The two geldings ran in the colours of Philip McBurney, who owns the Caherty Stables where Quinn is based, and were ridden by top amateur Noel McParlan who was recording his first success across the water since December 2019.

The five-year-old Cirque Royal ran in the opening two-mile maiden hurdle. On his first start for the Co Antrim yard, his first for 707 days and his first over jumps, the bay son of Cape Cross was beaten two and a quarter lengths into second by the Derek Fox-partnered Gripper.

Whether some of the support party imbibed any of the fare of the day’s sponsor, Edinburgh Gin, after that race we don’t know but we can hazard a guess that there was plenty of celebrating following the success of Enki Flacke in the bumper.

Also having his first start for the yard, following two for Colin McBratney in the spring, the French-bred four-year-old was sent off as 9/4 favourite in the six-strong field and justified his starting price when beating the newcomer Lou Marvelous by five lengths.

Lambe winner

At the Curragh the previous evening, James Lambe sent out the first reserve, Richie Behan’s Ever Rock, to win the concluding six-furlong handicap in the hands of Sam Ewing. Owner, trainer and jockey had narrowly failed to initiate a double when Reverberation was beaten a head and a nose in the preceding apprentice handicap.

Co Antrim-born trainer Neil Mulholland sent out two Sam Twiston-Davies-partnered winners on Wednesday at Worcester, the second of them being Translink who claimed the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle in the colours of his trainer’s father, Brian.

The Tilly Conway-owned and bred Digby justified 11/4 favouritism when landing the extended two and a half-mile maiden hurdle at Sligo on Tuesday under Adam Short.

Trained in Co Meath by Dermot McLoughlin, the six-year-old Tobougg gelding had never run until June this year and was having his fourth start, all over hurdles, on Tuesday. The bay is the second of five foals to date, and the first runner, out of the French-bred dual winner Calissee (by Ocean Of Wisdom).

Market leader

Also living up to his billing as market leader on Tuesday, but on the flat at Carlisle, was the McCracken Farms-bred La Pulga (4/5) who had finished fourth and third since making a winning debut at Sandown in June.

Trained by Roger Charlton, the two-year-old Kodiac colt is the second of three recorded produce out of the winning Pivotal mare, Nijah.

A winner on her debut at Bath, in late September last year, the three-year-old Awtaad filly Roseabad recorded her first success since then when landing the one-mile, six-furlong handicap at Carlisle on Wednesday for the Mark Johnston yard.

She was bred by Brian and Ann Marie Kennedy and is the 10th of 13 foals out of the two-time winning Daylami mare Dayrose, a half-sister to Dubday and from the family of Notnowcato.