SOME two years after he was picked up for 6,500gns as an unraced three-year-old, the splendidly versatile Dalvey notched up the fourth win of his career and pushed his earnings past €50,000 in the featured handicap over an extended 10 furlongs.

An opening winner of 2022 for Shane Foley, who was making his return to domestic action for the first time this year, Dalvey won over two miles earlier in the winter season.

He had since struck at this trip though and he returned to peak form on his third outing of the year.

The James McAuley-owned and -trained gelding struck the front for Foley as the last furlong loomed and he kept on willingly over the course of the last furlong to defeat the back-to-form Bowerman by half a length.

“We thought the handicapper might have him but he might have a few of these horses,” reported McAuley.

Scope

“If the handicapper does get him we might look at hurdling later in the year, he has the size and scope to go jumping. Shane feels his best trip could be a mile and a half.”

After getting amongst the winners last Friday, Sheila Lavery added to her tally when Summit Star, owned by her brother John, won the 45-75 rated handicap over an extended 10 furlongs.

Now a winner of two of her last three starts, the daughter of Sea The Stars coped readily with a mark that was 9lb higher than the one she won off here in November.

The Gary Carroll-ridden 4/1 favourite swept aside the front-running Power Drive well over a furlong from home and went on to defeat that rival by just under five lengths.

She looks a filly going places.

DARREN Bunyan could have a nice prospect on his hands in Elzaam Blue who made his belated racecourse debut a winning one in the older horses’ maiden over a mile.

The four-year-old was picked up for a mere £800 as a breeze-up but evidently a good showing was expected as he was returned a well-backed 5/1 chance.

Billy Lee’s mount looked quite green at various stages and had it all to do early in the straight, but he began to pick up with real purpose inside the final quarter of a mile and finished with a flourish to nail the favourite, Jaafel, in the last couple of strides.

Philip Egan bought this horse at the breeze-up sales and the gelding carries the colours of Siobhan Ni Cheallaigh.

“He was quite green and didn’t know what was going on early on and it was only before the turn in he got to grips with the race,” stated Lee whose only ride of the day came aboard this gelding.

“I thought I was going to be a good second with a furlong to run but he came home really well in the last 100 yards. He’ll improve plenty from this and hopefully will be a horse with a future.”

Second success

Hidden Land, who won a Downpatrick maiden hurdle at 50/1 last summer, notched up her second success for Andrew Kinirons in the second division of the 45-65 rated mile-and-a-half handicap.

After showing signs of a return to form when second to French Company earlier in the month, the P.J. Byrne-owned daughter of Hard Spun took another step forward.

Luke McAteer got the five-year-old to the front early in the straight and the pair defeated Matilda With Me by just under four lengths. The winner is likely to have a mixed campaign over the coming months.

There was a 40/1 surprise in the other division of that handicap as Evening Verse, in first-time cheekpieces, struck for Hilary McLoughlin and Andy Slattery.

The John O’Connor-owned and -bred mare hadn’t shown much in the way of worthwhile form since starting out in Ireland a year ago but took a marked step forward here.

She held the lead from over a furlong out and kept on well to deny the 5/4 favourite French Company by half a length.

“In fairness to Hilary and Martin (Ferris) they told me she was a lot sweeter and better in herself as a result of those few runs over hurdles and she certainly showed that today,” remarked the rider.

AFTER showing plenty of promise to finish fifth in a maiden here last month, the Pat Martin-trained Patrick Street (5/1) came good in the three-year-old seven-furlong handicap.

Five of the six runners held every chance with around a furlong to run but the 65-rated Patrick Street was much the best in the closing stages. He responded well to Mikey Sheehy’s promptings to keep on strongly for a two-length success over the top-weight, Mercurial. There should be more to come from the Cathal McCarthy-owned winner.

There was a deserving winner in the first divide of the 45-75 rated six-furlong handicap in the Johnny Levins-trained and Hugh Ward-owned Tai Sing Yeh.

Decent efforts

The well-supported 3/1 chance is a highly reliable type for this grade, finishing outside the first five just twice in the last year and a half, and he lined up looking to build on two decent efforts in defeat in recent weeks. Donagh O’Connor’s mount got the better of the resilient front-runner Pillar by half a length.

Oisin Orr marked his return from a stint in Dubai as he bagged the second division of the sprint handicap on David Marnane’s Jered Maddox (5/1).

The City Equine Syndicate-owned six-year-old followed up his course-and-distance win from last month with another strong-finishing effort which saw him consign the Denis Hogan-trained pair of Tawaazon and Royal Tribute to the minor placings.