MICHAEL Halford’s first winner of the season, which provided the trainer with the first leg of a double, arrived in some style as the newcomer Yulong Baobei bolted up in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction Maiden to look a two-year-old with a future.

A €13,000 purchase at Goffs last November, the daughter of Choisir is the first horse that Halford has run for Chinese owner Zhang Yuesheng and she is already earmarked for a crack at stakes company. Shane Foley’s mount broke alertly to show in front from the outset.

Inside the last quarter of a mile it looked as though Madam Bounska was poised to throw down a telling challenge but Yulong Baobei extended in style when asked to assert. She surged away over the last furlong and a half to defeat Rock In Peace by six lengths.

Interestingly, the time for this race was almost a second quicker than the three-year-old maiden over the same distance half an hour later.

“She was professional. She’s a nice, straightforward filly and had been pleasing us in her work but normally ours take a run,” said Halford. “She couldn’t have done any more and we’ll let her take her chance in the Coolmore Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas on Sunday week.”

There was another smart filly on show in the three-year-old seven-furlongs handicap where Sheila Lavery’s Another Story (7/1) made a stylish return to prompt thoughts of a tilt at a much bigger prize in the coming weeks.

This daughter of Rip Van Winkle, who was bred by her trainer, was running for the first time since her successful debut at this track last November and she made light of an initial mark of 80.

Over the course of the last furlong, Another Story brushed aside last Friday’s maiden winner Strada Di Carsoli for a resounding two and a half lengths triumph.

“We felt she was really smart but as we think a bit of her she wasn’t fully wound up for this,” commented the trainer whose charge carries the colours of the Spyglass Syndicate.

“Ronan said she gave a big heave two out and he was waiting for her to get tired but she just took off. I’ll talk to Ronan and maybe it’s shooting at the stars but the Jersey Stakes might be something to aim at.”

A return to the polytrack worked the oracle for Tommy Stack’s Hurricane Cass (4/1) who made short work of his rivals in the mile handicap.

The four-year-old won a maiden here last year and this race represented his first visit back to Dundalk. The welter burden of ten stone one pound was no trouble to Wayne Loran’s mount who travelled well and quickened up smartly to surge clear of the last 200 yards. At the line the JSC Kasandros Grupe-owned gelding had four lengths to spare.

“The worked out well for him and he does have plenty of ability. His form on grass has been a little disappointing and he clearly likes this surface,” stated Fozzy Stack.

The Halford double was completed by Suvenna (2/1) in the seven-furlong fillies maiden. The 75-rated half-sister to Bocca Baciata had shown promise in her previous three outings and took a nice step forward from last month’s comeback at Naas. Shane Foley got the daughter of Arcano to the front nearing the last furlong and she stuck to her task well to defeat Ionization by a length.

“She was bit free on her comeback so we put a hood on her to settle her and she nearly settled too well,” commented Halford. “She’s a good moving, scopey filly and she should improve throughout the season.”

Arbourfield (20/1-12/1), who last outing came in November 2014, made a successful comeback in the 45-65 rated seven furlongs handicap. The Billy Lee-ridden four-year-old seized control of this race inside the last quarter of a mile and then held off Sister Slew by half a length.

“Patience has paid off,” reflected a delighted Prunella Dobbs who trains the gelding for her husband, George. “He ran nicely as a two-year-old but we decided last year that wouldn’t train him and let him mature and develop. It’s unusual to give a horse the year off at three but it’s paid dividends.”

A superbly judged ride from Pat Smullen got the well-backed My Manekineko (7/2-2/1) home in front in the two miles handicap. James Nash’s charge was last on the approach to the straight but he picked up very smartly over the last couple of furlongs and he swept to the front inside the distance to carry the day by a head from Zemario.

“We were hoping the two miles would bring out the best in him,” said James Nash of the Ka Hon Tham-owned gelding. “I thought he’d run a good race in a handicap hurdle at Liverpool on National day but the ground went too soft for him. He’ll go to Punchestown on June 1st for a handicap hurdle next.”

After beginning her career with two unplaced runs the Paul Deegan-trained Arcara (16/1) took a marked step forward to claim the five-furlong maiden under Declan McDonogh.

The David Walker-owned filly was running just five days after finishing down the field in a maiden won by Strada Di Carsoli but had clearly come out of her last race in excellent shape.

For most of the straight the front running Aspar and the odds-on A Likely Story did battle but just when it seemed the former had done enough Arcara burst through to claim victory in the final yards.

“She got murdered on her first run and even here last week she didn’t enjoy the best of passages,” said Deegan. “Declan said she was still a bit clueless there and we’ll see what the handicapper makes of her now.”