WHAT a difference a year makes! Last year, just six went to post in the Gain Horse Feeds Gain Mares’ Final at Ballynoe. This year, the United Hunt fixture was brought forward to St Patrick’s Day and the sponsors and the committee offered the carrot of a generous €3,000 bonus to the winner.

The initiative reaped rich dividends on Tuesday, the 70th anniversary of the Ballynoe races, as 11 went to post in the featured event and it developed into a cracking contest with the five-year-old Simple Steps leading home a Robert Tyner one-two by beating Millie The Courcey in the hands of Derek O’Connor.

The imposing Simple Steps (100/30), so impressive when landing a novice riders’ maiden with the capable Larry O’Carroll at Nenagh in late-January, was held up off the pace as Kildorrery debut winner Kara Loca took the runners along at a decent pace with Misty Lass and Millie Decourcey in her slipstream.

The eventual winner moved through to dispute briefly setting out on the final circuit but was soon reined back. She eventually took up the running after the third last and from two out, it was clear that she was possessing too many aces for Millie Decourcey with the winning margin being four and a half lengths.

Inchiquin High served notice that she’s clearly progressing by securing the minor honours, a further five lengths adrift in a race that was unfortunately marred by the fatal fall sustained by Miss Cliche at the third last.

The Tikkanen-sired Simple Steps is a close relation to Lingfield Winter Derby winner Parasol and is owned by the six-member Don’t Tell The Wife Syndicate from Riverstick.

Trainer Robert Tyner remarked: “This mare got a bit of a hold up in recent times and I wouldn’t have been disappointed if she had got beaten today. We will probably now go for the either the mares’ pointers bumper in Cork over Easter or the one at Tipperary after that.”

This was Tyner’s second ‘Gain’ victory for he also sent out Bingo Bash to win the four-runner 2013 renewal. O’Connor also rode Bingo Bash to victory and this was the Galwegian’s third success in the Ballynoe race for he also took the 2005 running on John Brassil’s Christdalo.

Jamie Codd made a rare venture to Ballynoe worthwhile by partnering two winners and the reigning The Irish Field champion attained a notable milestone by partnering his 700th points winner aboard You Say What in the Anthony & Associates & The Winners Enclosure Bar five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Time Spot set out with the intention of forcing the pace and the well-supported market leader was still disputing when making a serious fourth-last fence blunder.

You Say What (7/2), trained by Denis Murphy for Tom O’Sullivan, then stormed into the lead on the ascent to three out and the recent Tinahely runner-up was always travelling best thereafter and he duly defeated the improving Smuggler’s Stash by two lengths.

A winner’s race is now likely to feature for You Say What, a June foal from the same family as Celestial Wave that was sourced at the 2013 Goffs Land Rover sale.

Codd then made inroads towards the next century by landing the second division of the Rathbarry Stud & Healy Bros six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden, the first race to divide in the Cork and Waterford circuit this year, aboard Sean Aherne’s Justforjames who was atoning for finishing second on his previous outing at Killaloe last month.

Justforjames (7/2) disputed the running until going to the front after a mile. The winning son of Dr Massini upped the tempo from five out and it was clear that he was travelling best before the penultimate obstacle as Macs Legend moved through to give chase with the well-supported Knockaderry Flyer.

Knockaderry Flyer had to settle for the runner-up spot as he was still some three lengths in arrears of Justforjames, the first horse that Aherne has handled for Lismore owner William O’Donnell.

Knockaderry Flyer’s handler Padraig Higgins, who trains just two miles away from the course in the townland of Ballyknock, went one better when Golden Crisp supplied Larry Murphy with the concluding leg of a double in the Kevin Hayes Fencing & Dermot O’Leary Agri open lightweight.

Golden Crisp (7/2), who was having his first start in open company, disputed the running with Emilyano until she cried enough on the run to three out.

The winning eight-year-old made the best of his way home from there and having initially fought off Corkseagh Royale, he then had sufficient reserves of stamina left to deny the never-nearer B L Swagger by a half-length in what was the closest finish of the day. The Pot Of Gold Syndicate-owned Golden Crisp, the first runner that his sire Gold Well had as a four-year-old in 2011, is now a possible for the hunters chase at Cork on Easter Monday.

Murphy was earlier on the mark aboard Kilmacthomas-based handler/breeder Diarmuid Ryan’s Mountain Philip in the first division of the six-year-old and upwards geldings’ maiden.

Mountain Philip, placed third on two out of his three previous starts, was one of the very few winners to arrive from off the pace and he was still last with a mile still left to travel.

The son of Mountain High eased into contention from the fourth last, going third on the approach to two out as The Black Dog still held the call from Galveston.

The latter seemed beaten in third when departing here as the bay, representing Ryan’s wife Mary, led away from this second-last fence to eclipse The Black Dog by three and a half lengths. Mountain Philip, one of three horses that Ryan currently has in harness, is now likely to be sold over the coming months.

It was an afternoon of doubles for Rob James emulated Codd and Murphy by also departing with two winners.

James opened his account aboard the hugely-impressive newcomer Invitation Only in The Big Tree & Coolmore NH Division four-year-old maiden.

The Sean Thomas Doyle-trained Invitation Only (6/1) disputed the running, the late-May foal giving an exhibition of fencing in the process, until striking for home from five out.

There was only going to be one outcome from the second last with the €40,000 2014 Derby sale graduate Invitation Only, handler Doyle’s first four-year-old winner this season, storming clear to account for the promising Whatswrongwithyou by seven lengths.

This was an extremely impressive performance and the likelihood is that the son of Flemensfirth won’t be in the ownership of the winning Monbeg Syndicate for much longer.

James signed off on Colin Bowe’s first-timer Timo, an Alhaarth-sired half-sister to last week’s Cheltenham Festival winner Irish Cavalier, in the closing Liam Geary Garage & Mr Softee Ice Creams five-year-old and upwards mares’ maiden.

The five-year-old Timo (6/1), acquired by connections for €38,000 at the 2013 Derby sale, certainly had luck on her side for she seemed well held in second spot some three lengths adrift when Timmy O’Callaghan’s Carlo Way fell at the final fence with Ciaran Fennessy and the pursuing Talktotheblonde was badly impeded when lying third.

This paved the way for Timo, owned by Patrick O’Brien from Bennettsbridge, to beat favourite Flights Of Fantasy by five lengths.

HORSES TO FOLLOW

KNOCKADERRY FLYER (Padraig Gerard Higgins): A son of Aolus, this fellow was fancied to step up from his fifth-placed debut effort at Templenacarriga in January. He was always well positioned, but just couldn’t with the more-experienced Justforjames going down by three lengths. Stamina seems to be his strong suit and he won’t be a maiden for much longer and could improve enough to hold track pretensions in time.