THE 2/1 favourite Cheerful Chap followed up a win at Naas four days earlier when digging deep to land the featured McGrath Limestone Works Handicap Hurdle.

Trained by Philip Rothwell for the Geesala Racing Syndicate from north Mayo, the Pour Moi gelding made most and held on by a head from Kings Hill.

Jockey Simon Torrens said: “Philip said he’d come out of Naas fresh and well in himself. He told me to bounce out in front and see what happened. I knew he’d stay well and the ground’s not too bad out there so I went a good enough gallop.

“He’d a right old look around, especially in the home straight, but that seems to be him.”

Rothwell and Torrens doubled up in the BoyleSports (Mares) Handicap Hurdle when the well-supported Game And Glory (5/1) came from the back of the field to collar Flidais in the straight for a length and a half success.

Torrens said of the John Leckey-owned winner: “I took my time on her and was trying to pick up as much prize money as I could.

“For a little mare she’s brilliant to ‘lep’ but the ground is probably a bit slower than she’d ideally like and maybe she just doesn’t have the same spring out of it. She missed the last but five strides after it I was pretty confident I was going to get there.

“When you’re riding for Philip, one thing you won’t be short of is confidence. No matter what type of ride you give one of his, he fills you with loads of confidence going out on the next horse.”

GREAT rivals Derek O’Connor and Patrick Mullins were to the fore in the closing stages of the Lodge At Ashford Castle (QR) Handicap Hurdle.

O’Connor produced recent Naas winner Oneforgonzo (6/1) to lead inside the final furlong and the Dylan Thomas gelding held the late thrust of the Mullins-ridden Onlyamatteroftime by a length and a quarter.

“I got a great kick out of that,” said O’Connor. “Sean Aherne is a hard trier. He doesn’t always have the best quality horses but he has found a nice one here.

“This lad has a good future ahead of him and will jump a fence in time. Sean is after reminding me there that I rode my first winner for (owner) Eoin Barry 20 years ago.”

Lovely horse

Philip Fenton has a lovely young horse on his hands in Butch Cassidy who justified 9/4 favouritism in the John Madden & Sons INH Flat Race.

The half-brother to the Champion Bumper winner Fayonagh cost €140,000 at last year’s Derby Sale and carries the colours of Mrs John Magnier.

Always close to the pace under Eoin O’Brien, he hit the front inside the final quarter-mile and held off the challenge of fellow newcomer Swingin Safari by half a length.

Fenton said: “I spoke with Sam Curling (trainer of Swingin Safari) earlier on and he liked his horse. I was liking my fella too, but it just goes to show you that you never have anything up your sleeve.”

“I’d say there’s a lot of improvement to come. He’s a beautiful-looking horse, a big chaser in the making and he has lots of fences jumped which is a big help.”

Late lunge

The Tim Kelly (C&G) Maiden Hurdle was a thriller with On The Steel (17/2) lunging late to prevail in a three-way finish.

Napper Tandy came to lead before the last but was all out in the closing stages as odds-on favourite Doctor Glide and the eventual winner came to press.

On The Steel, trained by Conor O’Dwyer for Whitechurch Stud, swept down the outside to score by half a length from Doctor Glide.

Rider Charlie O’Dwyer said of the Mount Nelson five-year-old: “He had a couple of nice bumper runs and we knew he wanted a bit of better ground.

“He’s still learning on the job and will be better over a little bit further.”

Diamond Nora stays all the way

HAVING landed the opener in Limerick just a few minutes earlier, trainer Declan Queally struck again when Diamond Nora (16/1) made all under Kevin Sexton in the Bowers Bar & Restaurant Mares Maiden Hurdle The point-to-point winner, owned by Mrs Bernadette Queally, had been soundly beaten in two previous maiden hurdle outings but left that form well behind when scoring by three and a quarter lengths from Burvea.

Sexton said: “Declan’s horses are always fit. It was a bad race and she’d won a three-mile point-to-point so he said to make a bit of use of her.

“Her last run at Gowran wasn’t bad, she probably got stuck in the ground a bit there, and in fairness to her today I made plenty of use of her and she did nothing but stay at it. The better ground definitely suited and she jumped better on it as well.”

Captain Jimmy (9/1) powered clear in the closing stages to win the Sherry Fitzgerald Mayo Handicap Hurdle for owner Declan Cunningham and trainer Pat Kelly. Philip Donovan produced his mount to challenge over the final flight and the Gold Well gelding asserted to record a five-length win over Miss Vivacious. “He’s 11 and still has plenty of enthusiasm but that’s Pat Kelly for you,” said Donovan. “They don’t call him a genius for nothing. He’s a man of few words and he didn’t say much before this race. He probably gave me more instructions the first day I rode that lad two years ago than he ever did!

“I’m freelancing and I go into John Ryan, Andy Slattery, Pat Kelly and Cormac Farrell. I pick up some good rides along the way.”