EX-JOCKEY Barry Cash’s colours were carried to victory by Oisin McSweeney on Prince Of Abington in division 1 of The Floodlit Friday Nights At Dundalk Handicap, a second leg of a double on the card for the jockey. McSweeney rode a confident race on the six-year-old who was last halfway before making easy progress over a quarter of a mile out. They moved into second inside the final furlong and came with a rattling late run to mow down The Cola Brasil by a head at 10/1 having been available at much bigger odds in morning trading.

McSweeney said: “He was doing all his best work late on. Barry and Jenny (Anne Lynch, trainer) told me beforehand that that’s what he will do. He just likes to pass horses. Barry said: ‘if you’re going to get beat, I’d rather you not get there than get there too soon.’ I definitely didn’t get there too soon! He was delighted, so it is good when it comes off.”

Cristiano Martins, on the runner-up, picked up a couple of suspensions - one day for riding carelessly and four days for frequency with the whip while Chris Hayes, on fourth-placed Hero Of The Hour, was given eight days for riding carelessly.

Wide draw

Earlier, McSweeney and Unterberg (5/2 favourite) won by a short-head when strongly challenged by Solar Breeze in The Put The Fun In Fundraising At Dundalk Handicap over the extended 10-furlongs.

After the five-year-old gelding took the honours for trainer Laura Hourigan and the Novum Racing Club, McSweeney said: “I just had to get up from a wide draw, I didn’t want to be too far back because he galloped all the way to the line for me the last day. If I was going to do anything, I was going to make plenty of use of his stamina.”

Wesley Joyce, on unplaced Construct, got an eight-day ban for careless riding.

OWNER/trainer Eddie Lynam’s Cross Border made the breakthrough in The View Restaurant At Dundalk Stadium Maiden over five furlongs. The 11/4 shot travelled well again and saw out his race in the final furlong to strike by half a length in the hands of James Ryan. Lynam said: “People call him this, that and the other - he’s probably not 100% straightforward, but he’s very consistent. Look, it is good to get the win. I think he had run eight times - he was down the field the first day, then he was fourth, then in the next six runs he had three seconds and three thirds.”

Joseph O’Brien’s newcomers Neski Sherelski and Cow Chico dominated the finish of the Book Online At DundalkStadium.com Maiden with the former beating the latter by a length and a half to justify 11/8 favouritism. Stable representative Sean Corby said of the Stride Racing winner: “Being that far back, he probably got stuck behind a couple that were going backwards and he had to switch out wide. He did well to win and hopefully will be a nice horse going forward. Dylan (Browne McMonagle) said he will stay a little bit further in time.”

Race fit

Squire Danagher (2/1) rolled home well for Billy Lee to pick up the lead over a furlong out in The Irishinjuredjockeys.com Maiden. The Australia colt kept up the gallop to beat 4/5 favourite Carlo Bianconi by three-quarters of a length for owner Francis Campbell. Trainer Andy Oliver said: “I think he had a wee bit too much turkey over Christmas and he just wasn’t quite race fit last time. We were quite disappointed. Definitely a sharper horse today and the blinkers did help.”

Hodd’s Girl won for the seventh time at Dundalk with a ready performance in The Dundalk Winter Series Leading Trainer & Jockey Championship Handicap.

Adam Caffrey produced her to lead inside the final furlong and she forged on nicely to come in by two lengths at 10/3 for The Rocky Horror Partnership. Ado McGuinness said: “She ran a cracker in the all-weather finals in England and that’s where she will be heading, to Newcastle for the mares’ race. I think she has one more run to have here.”

River Derwent bounced back to winning form in division 2 of The Floodlit Friday Nights At Dundalk Handicap. The son of Kingman made headway racing to the final furlong and was worked to the front in the final 100 yards by Donagh O’Connor. After he came in by half a length at 12/1, owner/trainer Dick Donohoe said: “His win in November worked out well. I reached for the blinkers today because he had lost five or six lengths out of the gates the last twice.He has come back off a layoff today nice and fresh, and the rider was outstanding I thought.”

FOUR-year-old Mount Ruapehu made a solid winning start to life with Andrew Slattery in The Join Us On Instagram @Dundalk_Stadium Handicap over six furlongs.

The easy-to-back 16/1 chance was making his Polytrack debut and took to the surface in surging home confidently in the final furlong by a length and a half under jockey Cian Horgan for the Whackey Racers Syndicate.

Assistant trainer Brian Slattery said of the Invincible Spirit bay gelding: “On his form with John (Grogan) earlier on, he was entitled to do that. He’s down a long way in the weights.It was nice to get a win and it is his first run in the lads’ colours – they have leased him off John and they are from Thurles and Limerick.”