ADO McGuinness and Adam Caffrey combined to win the first two races with Dark Ace (6/1), a maiden winner over course and distance on his previous start, following up that success in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF two-year-old Race, which was the most valuable contest on the card.

The Soldier’s Call colt, owned by Michael Keaveney and Damien McCann, made all and picked up well to account for market leader Sounds Like A Plan by a length and a quarter.

Trainer Ado McGuinness said: “I like this horse a lot. I bought him in Goresbridge for 40 grand at the breeze-up sales. He was too keen in his first two starts, but we did a lot of work with him and he has really settled down and has manned up.

“I think you could step him back to five furlongs with the pace he has. There is a 150 grand race for three-year-olds in Newcastle on all-weather finals day and we might look at that for him.”

Double down

Dontspoilasale (17/2), who took the Christmas Party Nights At Dundalk Stadium Handicap, was the second leg of the McGuinness/Caffrey double.

The Kuroshio four-year-old, owned by Bart O’Sullivan, Mark Devlin, Nigel O’Hare and Philip Smith, snapped a 24-race losing run when dictating a steady early pace and quickening well off it to readily beat Dream Today by three and a quarter lengths.

McGuinness commented: “He finished well over five on his last run and he’s probably more of a six-furlong horse. Adam was very good on him, we were drawn wide and he got him out and got him up there into a nice position.”

PAT Flynn and Robyn Donaghue-Leahy also combined for a brace of winners and struck first with Tudor Manor (2/1 favourite) in the apprentice handicap over a mile and a half.

Having tracked the leaders, Conor Lannen’s eight-year-old hit the front early in the straight to beat Scott Lang by two and a quarter lengths.

“I was worried had we gone too steady, because he stays well and I thought maybe I would be caught for a bit of foot, but he got a nice slip up the false rail and put it to bed so easy,” said the winning rider.

Eagle soars to victory

Flynn and Donaghue-Leahy completed their doubles when Not Just Any Eagle (7/1) notched his third win of the year in the William Hill Top Price Guarantee Rated Race.

Catherine Flynn’s four-year-old was keen behind a steady pace and the winning rider decided to move him up to dispute the lead half a mile from home. In front over a furlong out, he stayed on well to score by half a length from San Andreas.

Donaghue-Leahy, for whom it was a first double, said: “He was more keen to get prominent than I was! They went steady enough and he does stay a lot further. After a layoff, we were wondering might he be short a piece of work, but he did it very well and will surely improve from it.”

Form shines through

Seventh in a Derby weekend Curragh maiden that has worked out exceptionally well, Ja’marr (7/4 favourite) made a winning handicap debut in the first division of the View Restaurant At Dundalk Stadium Nursery.

The winner tracked the leaders three-wide under Luke McAteer and overcame being carried even wider early in the straight to beat Adrienne by half a length.

David Marnane, who trains the winner for MRC International, said: “Obviously, his first run, we all saw it and it was a good run in a very good maiden.

“He’s a real Zoustar, he moves really well. We’ll get him back up here again and we’ll see where we go from there. He saw it out well and will make a lovely mile and a quarter horse next year.”

A WINNER at Killarney in August, Sunriseontheboyne (5/1) doubled his tally for the year in the second split of the nursery.

Having settled the Cotai Glory gelding behind the leaders on the inner, Wesley Joyce produced him to head Your Call over a furlong out and kept him going to hold that one’s renewed effort by half a length.

The winner is owned and trained by Michael Mulvany, who said: “We were disappointed that he didn’t get a clear run the last day in Galway, so decided we would give him a spin on the all-weather. We will give him a break soon, because he is a horse for next year.”

Genoah (4/1) finished with a flourish for Colin Keane to grab the spoils in the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Maiden. The son of U S Navy Flag, owned by Alto Equine Building Solutions, came from mid-division to lead inside the final furlong for a length verdict over Sacred Oath.

Trainer Michael O’Callaghan said: “I’m delighted for the lads that own him, good friends of mine. He handles the surface well and the step up to a mile and a quarter really suited him. Colin thinks, as he grows up, he will have no problem staying a mile and a half.”

Stepping up

Having his first start on the all-weather, The Real Screamer (13/2) made short work of his nine rivals in the three-year-old handicap over the extended 10 furlongs.

The Awtaad gelding was dropped out off a strong gallop, before making headway to lead over a furlong out and was pushed out by Chris Hayes to beat Dancing Steve by five lengths.

Trainer Paul Flynn said of the Nathan Matthews-owned winner: “They went a savage pace and he picked it up and did it well. We thought he was well-handicapped on his homework, but he has been really disappointing.

“I said I thought he would like the surface and we took a chance and it really worked.”