COURSE and distance maiden winner State Actor was sent off 11/2 favourite for the QuinnBet Emerald Mile Handicap and produced a sparkling performance to score under replacement rider Danny Sheehy.

Sheehy had been due to ride Rahmi on which he won the corresponding race a year ago but was replaced by Johnny Murtagh’s stable jockey Ben Coen when the latter’s intended mount Shayzann was scratched.

When Declan McDonogh was stood down after an incident before the opening two-year-old maiden, Sheehy was called up for the spare ride on State Actor.

Dropped in towards the rear of the field, the gelded son of Raven’s Pass had had plenty to do entering the final quarter-mile but quickened smartly to beat Kayhana by three-quarters of a length.

“He gave him a terrific ride, he’s a good kid,” said Bill Farrell who trains the homebred winner for Gary Davis.

“The handicapper won’t be easy on us but he’s probably a decent horse. We’ll go home and digest it all and see, and praise ourselves for one night! Chances are he’ll go for another premier handicap.”

Shock winner

Making his stable debut for Liam Cusack after nine months off the track, Red Letter Bray was a shock winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Habitat Handicap.

The 100/1 chance was soon in front but looked booked for second when headed by Little Queenie approaching the final furlong. The New Bay gelding was not to be denied, though, and rallied well to thwart that rival by a neck.

Winning rider Leigh Roche said: “The owner Cathal Brophy is a very good friend of mine and bought him last year.

“Michael O’Callaghan bought him at the breeze-ups and he won two on the bounce in Naas early on. He had a few little niggly problems but we got them sorted.

“I thought he’d need the run today. The plan was to drop in but he hit the lids. He was good and tough, he took a blow and went away again at the line.”

Orchidaceae impresses in a 50/1 shock for Oliver and Team Valor

THERE were plenty of green juveniles ahead of the Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden and the stalls handlers really earned their corn, but once the gates opened Orchidaceae was most professional as she sprang a 50/1 surprise.

The daughter of Churchill, owned by Team Valor International in partnership with trainer Andy Oliver, bounced out and made all to beat No Such Thing by a length and a half.

Winning rider Andy Slattery said: “She improved a lot from the first run and gave me quite a job to pull up after the line. I’d have no problem going another furlong with her.”

Breakthrough

Owned and bred by Ballygallon Stud, the Ger Lyons-trained Apricot Ice (5/2) gained a deserved breakthrough when making all under Colin Keane in the James Nolan’s Bar Kildare Irish EBF Maiden.

The daughter of Bated Breath had been runner-up in three of her first four starts, all over seven furlongs, and dropping back to six furlongs didn’t inconvenience her as she recorded a three-quarters-of-a-length win over Ojw Legacy.

“She got the job done. It took a good colt to beat her in Leopardstown but I didn’t think we hit the line strong so I took the view that we’d come back here and have a punt at six on a proper track.”

Doubled up

Keane doubled up when Dance Night Andday (10/3) just repelled the rallying challenge of Charlisse by a nose in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap.

“It was a good performance carrying top-weight,” said winning trainer Ross O’Sullivan of the Buratino four-year-old which was bred by owner Peter Jones and his daughter Elizabeth.

“She’ll probably dip her toe in a listed race now. She has a good mind and definitely wants good ground, that’s the key to her.”

SUPER Sox, trained by Paddy Twomey for the Dowager Countess of Harrington, made all in the Cavalor Equine Nutrition Irish EBF Maiden.

Placed in both previous starts, the daughter of Showcasing got things easy on the front end and only needed to be pushed out by Billy Lee to shrug off the challenge of Galen by two lengths.

Twomey said of his 85/40 winner: “It’s great to win for Lady Harrington, she’s Billy’s neighbour so it’s a lot of pressure for him! I wanted to run her at a nice track and I asked Billy if we could take on the colts and he said we could.”

Hurricane Ivor (10/1) was another to successfully employ front-running tactics when bouncing back to form in the Mongey Communications Handicap.

Trained by Jessica Harrington for Fiona Carmichael, the seven-year-old responded for Shane Foley and repelled Pinar Del Rio by three-quarters of a length.

“It’s the first time he’s won over seven and he loved that. He’s dropped down in the handicap and we’ve gone up a furlong. He had the draw tonight, got on the front end and he had them all burned off. We could come back here next for another handicap.”

Made all - again

Global Energy (15/2) became the fifth horse on the card to make all when landing the Ryans Cleaning Handicap under Robbie Colgan.

The Showcasing gelding got into a good rhythm in front and had enough in reserve to see off Everylittlestep by half a length.

“He had a little problem, we solved it, and he’s just got better and better,” said Sheila Lavery who trains the five-year-old for her brother John.“I have to thank Ted Durcan because, even though he’s won over a mile-four and a mile-two, he just reckoned he wasn’t staying and to drop him back to a mile.”