FITTINGLY one of the major flat prizes of the year at Killarney went to the John Joseph Murphy yard when the trainer, who has an enviable strike-rate at this venue, produced Charterhouse in great order to register a clear-cut triumph in the Listed GMIB Vincent O’Brien Ruby Stakes.

A first stakes winner for jockey Scott McCullagh, Charterhouse finished third in this race last year and signalled that he was on the way back to peak form lately by winning a handicap here in July before running third in last week’s Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown.

The Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez-owned four-year-old arrived with a strong challenge to strike the front well over a furlong out and the 13/2 shot kept on well to finish a length and a quarter ahead of the favourite, Panama Red.

“He got a great ride from Scott who filled him with confidence and kidded him along which suits him. In fairness to the horse he has been busy enough lately so he’s probably due a little break now,” said the trainer’s son George.

Kevin Prendergast followed up his double at Tramore last Saturday by sending out the 87-rated Mudamer to take the Bordeaux Racecourse Rated Race over a mile.

The Shadwell Estate-owned son of Dark Angel hadn’t been at his best on his last couple of runs but did post several fine efforts in defeat earlier in the summer and he was restored to that form.

Chris Hayes produced the 13/2 chance to move to the head of the four-runner field entering the final furlong and Mudamer kept on gamely to repel the outsider Desert Wind by half a length.

Gamble landed

A successful and notable gamble kicked off proceedings as Malbay Madness handsomely rewarded those that backed him from a high of 18/1 into 15/8 favouritism in the Irish EBF Nursery over a mile.

Trained by Eddie Linehan, who is due to get married in Killarney this afternoon, the son of Wings Of Eagles had beaten just four horses in three runs but returned in great shape from two months off.

Malbay Madness also had to compete from 7lb out of the handicap and he was one of the first horses under strong pressure. To his credit though he answered Wayne Lordan’s every call and, just when it seemed Approaching Bear had arrived to pounce nearing the line, Malbay Madness found more to force a bobbing finish which went his way by a nose.

“He got a knock after his last run after getting a fall in the yard and got three weeks off but he was working well since he came back,” stated the trainer. “I think he is a horse with a future and I think he’ll be better over further and will be a nice horse for three-year-old hurdles next year.”

Cesarewitch dream for La Hacienda

A TILT at one of the biggest pots of the season could be on the cards for La Hacienda who produced much her best effort since coming to Ireland by landing the Mongey Communications Kingdom Gold Cup Handicap.

After showing she was in excellent heart by defeating Unanswered at Galway last month the Matthew Smith-trained mare took the step up to premier handicap level in her stride.

The Mikey Sheehy-ridden and ABD Syndicate-owned mare travelled very well throughout and then struck for home entering the last quarter of a mile. It wasn’t long before victory was in safe-keeping and at the line the daughter of Free Eagle had a length to spare over the strong-finishing Away To Sea.

“Last year we just couldn’t get any weight on her but she’s a different mare this year and I’m delighted for the owners as there wasn’t a cross word out of them when things weren’t going right last year,” commented Smith.

“She’s in the Cesarewitch and I think she could be protected from being balloted there as a result of winning this so, if that’s the case, she will go there.”

Versatile mare

The Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Anna Bunina (13/2), who has been such a fine standard bearer for John McConnell over the last couple of seasons, won her first race on the level for the trainer as she defied top weight in the apprentice handicap over the same distance as the Kingdom Gold Cup.

On her first flat outing for a year and a half, the Caroline Ahearn-owned mare was ridden by the trainer’s son Cillian and did well to win. She met some trouble in running early in the straight with the result that she only had one rival behind her, but she finished with a tremendous flourish to nail the favourite, Barometer, in the closing strides.

“I’ll never have another one like her. I know she’s not top, top class but she’s been a legend for us and I’m thrilled for Cillian as he does everything with her bar the schooling,” stated McConnell. “I put her in the Petingo Handicap at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend and hopefully that might get her in to that.”

Gentleman obliges

The evening closed with a winning favourite in the shape of the Emmet Mullins-trained Cape Gentleman in the Celtic Steps (Q.R.) Race. The former Irish Cesarewitch winner was reverting to the flat following a ninth-place effort in the Galway Plate and he was returned at 4/7 under Patrick Mullins.

The Margaret O’Rourke-owned gelding was made to work hard by the front-running Jerandme but he asserted in the closing stages of this extended two-mile event to prevail by three-parts of a length.

There was a further length and a quarter back to the winner’s staying-on stablemate The Shunter who was the subject of a running and riding enquiry after which the explanations of the trainer and jockey Derek O’Connor were noted.

The winner could return to action over fences at Ballinrobe on Monday.

The 800gns buy Geological makes it 17 wins

ONE of the most popular winners of the evening came when the Damien English-trained and Grougha Stables-owned Geological (14/1) made it 17 career wins in the second division of the Gain The Advantage Series Handicap.

As he made it 141 career outings, the 10-year-old defied a 5lb higher mark than when successful here last month as he continued a remarkable journey which began for his connections when they paid 800gns for him at the 2015 Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale. Declan McDonogh made much of the running on Geological who kept out towards the middle of the track from the turn in and always seemed to in control thereafter, eventually scoring by a length and a quarter.

Eloquent Arthur (13/2) won his first race since joining Denis Hogan as he defied top weight in the first division of this one-mile handicap.

A dual winner for Richard Hannon last year, and now owned by the Winning Chance Syndicate, Eloquent Arthur had dropped 7lb in the weights since the start of the season and he ran out a thoroughly determined winner under Daniel King, getting on top in the closing stages.