IT was great to see Liam McKenna record his first win since his return from injury when the Tony Martin-trained Brookie justified 10/11 favouritism in division one of the Adare Manor Opportunity Maiden Hurdle at Limerick on Tuesday.

The five-year-old Policy Maker gelding, who got into the race as third reserve, didn’t make things easy for the jockey, being keen in the early stages and then, having led approaching the final flight, he had to be ridden out to hold off Walk With Paul by half a length.

On the same card, the two-mile mares’ handicap hurdle was won by the Gold Well nine-year-old Capture The Action, who was bred by Jeremy Maxwell out of the Cadoudal mare Huit De Coeur.

The concluding ladies’ bumper for mares went to the Malinas five-year-old Shecouldbeanything who was making her track debut for the Gordon Elliott yard having been partnered by Deckie Lavery to win a Loughanmore maiden in April on her only point-to-point start for the Patrick Turley yard.

Across the water

On the jump jockeys’ front across the water, Brian Hughes partnered four winners in the period under review while Caoilin Quinn notched up three.

There were wins also for the John and Margery Adams-bred six-year-old Panic Attack (Canford Cliffs – Toto Corde Meo, by Galileo) at Huntingdon on Saturday, for the P.G. McGillion-bred Faithfulflyer (Sageburg – Dakota Fire, by Beneficial) at Musselburgh on Monday, for the Kieran Magee-bred Moroval (Morozov – Valerie Ellen, by Accordion) at Southwell a day later and for the Peter Magill-bred Maggie Barrett (Doyen – Grace N’ Favour, by Exit To Nowhere) who won at Sedgefield the same afternoon.

Trained by Brian Ellison, the six-year-old Maggie Barrett was previously in the care of Brian Hamilton who sent her out to be placed in a point-to-point, a bumper and twice over hurdles for Peter who named the mare after his maternal grandmother.

PRESSURE on space last week meant that we weren’t able to mention that Donegal-born jockey Martin Harley had moved to Australia on a permanent basis having ridden there previously on a number of occasions.

Based near Brisbane, the 33-year-old had his first ride at Ballina on Friday, November 11th and partnered his first winner a week later in a 1,350 maiden at Ipswich on the John Hubbard-trained Dream Ahead gelding Twyford. Up to Wednesday of this week, Martin had ridden three more winners from nine starts and we wish him all the best in his new life down under.

Fellow Donegal natives Dylan Browne McMonagle and Luke McAteer remain closer to home and both were on the mark at Dundalk last Friday evening. The latter landed the opening mile maiden for two-year-old colts and geldings on the Barry Fitzgerald-trained Whispering Royal, a well-supported newcomer from the first crop of Coolmore’s Gustav Klimt.

Double

Dual champion apprentice Browne McMonagle, who had a ride in seven of the eight races, recorded a double in the final two contests.

He made all to win the extended 10-furlong Irishinjuredjockeys.com Handicap on the Gavin Cromwell-trained favourite Je T’ai Porte, who was having her third start for the Co Meath handler, and the 12-furlong handicap on the Paul Flynn-trained Golden Sandbanks whose previous start had been in a novice chase on soft ground at Cork where the five-year-old finished second.

Co Down trainer Natalia Lupini maintained her excellent form at the Co Louth track by saddling the Turley family’s newcomer Lecale’s Approach, a Godolphin-bred daughter of New Approach to win the mile maiden for two-year-old fillies in the hands of Wayne Lordan. You can read more about the bay’s length victory over the favourite Sweetest Rose in Parrot Mouth on page 10.