WITH a week until the final meeting at Southwell, Wales & The West increased its lead over London & The South at Newcastle, on an evening where Ireland found form and reeled off four winners in a row.

Jamie Osborne’s side heads the leaderboard with 689.5 points. London & The South remains in second with 648 points, with The East third on 626. Ireland are fourth on 579p points.

In-form trainer Richard Hughes was responsible for two of Ireland’s winners, courtesy of Road To Wembley in the extended two-mile handicap and Derby 11th Kamboo in the 12-furlong handicap.

Co Tipperary handler Andrew Slattery pulled off a successful raid with Cloud Seeker, who completed a three-timer in the 10-furlong handicap, while Road To Wembley’s jockey Finley Marsh doubled up on Bright for Mark Loughnane in the five-furlong handicap.

Ireland’s team manager Kevin Blake said: “You could not write it really. In the first four weeks, we only had two winners. We have been made to wait for it, as our luck has deserted us at a couple of the other meetings.

“I genuinely cannot believe it and you really appreciate nights like this. The last place I would have expected us to do really well is here because this is the most competitive meeting of the whole lot. Our trainers have continued to support us and we have had the drop of the ball.

Off the scale

“The odds on our four-timer would have been off the scale. Racing League is set up to be really competitive and this sort of thing should not happen.

It was a poignant success for Cloud Seeker. Assistant trainer Brian Slattery said: “His owner Pat [Garvey] lives in Yorkshire but he lost his brother during the week. We are thinking of the Garvey family, and this one is for them.”

Wales & The West had to wait until the £75,000 finale to get on the scoresheet, with the unexposed Ten Pounds making a mockery of an opening handicap mark of 90 for Harry Charlton and Trevor Whelan.

Elsewhere on the card, The East remained in the mix thanks to Heathcliff scoring in the six-furlong handicap for trainer James Fanshawe.

The victory puts Daniel Muscutt in the reckoning for Racing League leading jockey honours. Muscutt sits 12 points adrift of leader Saffie Osborne (240 points), with Billy Loughnane in third place on 217 having missed tonight’s meeting.

There was also a winner for The North, with Tolstoy charging home to claim the mile handicap for Brian Ellison and Ben Robinson.

Racing League standings after night five

Wales & The West – 689.5pts

London & The South – 648pts

The East – 626pts

Ireland – 579pts