AMONG the small number of Northern-bred winners in the period were two at Taunton last Thursday.

The first of the pair, both born around Downpatrick, was the Sir Prancealot gelding Birds Of Prey who, in landing the two-mile, three-furlong novices’ hurdle was winning for the second time over timber, having won his maiden over the same course and distance last month.

The winner of two races on the flat when trained here by John Oxx, Birds Of Prey joined the Paul Nicholls yard in the autumn of 2017 and finished fourth three times and second four times before getting off the mark for his new handler. The bay was bred by Thomas Foy out of the Diktat mare Cute who had a filly last year by Elzaam.

The Aizavoski gelding Capac brought up the double when landing the bumper in the colours of his breeder, Denis Macauley. Ridden by Alan Johns and trained by Tom Lacey, the four-year-old is the last recorded produce out of the unraced Commanche Run mare Wigwam Mam, whose first foal, born in 1998, was the brilliant hurdler, Brave Inca.

Capac was sent off favourite in that bumper as was the Arcano gelding Arlecchino’s Arc who won the Irish Lotto At totesport.com Handicap over 10 furlongs at Chelsmsford’s evening meeting on Thursday. This was a second career success for the Mark Usher-trained four-year-old who was bred by Eithne Hamilton out of the Thunder Gulch mare Sir Cecil’s Girl who had a filly last year by Kodi Bear.

Mentioned elsewhere in this page, Draperstown trainer Noel Kelly seems to have found the key to Cathal McGuckin’s Wild Shot who followed up his win at Dundalk last month with another, also under Oisin Orr, at the Co Louth track last Friday evening.