GRAND National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott completed a treble across both sides of the Irish Sea on Thursday as, having won Aintree’s Bowl Chase with Gerri Colombe, he also bagged a double at Limerick.

The Cullentra team got off the mark with Doctor Nightingale (7/2) in Limerick’s opening Molly’s Late Bar Fillies Maiden Hurdle under Danny Gilligan.

Gilligan, who himself partnered a winner at Cheltenham last month, improved the Pierce Molony owned-and-bred winner to challenge on the inside of 8/13 favourite Jeaniemacaroney rounding the final bend, and went on to score by one and three-quarter lengths.

“We didn’t go mad [fast] and I was happy enough to let the two leaders go on as I wanted to keep the bit up in her mouth for as long as I could,” said Gilligan.

“The ground is quite testing and she is only a small, light filly, but it worked out for her because I got a nice gap and she was brave to take it. She went through that [testing] ground, but I think she’ll be a fun, summer filly and nicer ground mightn’t do her any harm.”

Diamond shines

Elliott rounded off his Irish double in the concluding Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Bumper, with Neon Diamond (9/2) under Harry Swan.

Many of the runners had prior placed-form with the Liam Clancy-owned winner, who finished runner-up in a Leopardstown bumper last month. She stayed on well to beat Grainne A Chroi by three and a quarter lengths.

Swan said: “She had a very good run at Leopardstown behind one of Willie Mullins’ horses [Magic McColgan], who just got the better of her and ran well afterwards. Today’s ground wasn’t ideal but she is tough and honest and, while I just had to get after her, she hit the line well enough. They’ll have plenty of fun with her and she’s a filly to look forward to.”

HENRY de Bromhead had little luck in the same day’s Aintree Hurdle, where his nose-loser Bob Olinger failed to get the verdict in the stewards’ room, but at Limerick the trainer sent out 20-length winner Coming Up Easy for a facile success.

Ridden by Mike O’Connor, the Anthony Head-owned 8/11 favourite went clear rounding the final bend, having too much for On Lovers Walk.

O’Connor said: “He’s a gorgeous-looking horse and is a big, straightforward type. There seems to be plenty more to come from him.”

There was a substantial gamble landed in the Locke Burger Handicap Hurdle as the Terence O’Brien-trained King Of Cong won hard-held under jockey Darragh Allen.

The Liam Mulryan owned-and-bred handicap debutant had finished third on point-to-point debut last year and today was a 14/1 chance in the morning, 10/1 by lunchtime and on course was backed from 9/2 to 11/4 favourite.

Travelling strongly throughout, King Of Cong was leading when jumping left over the final two flights but won eased down by two and three quarters of a length from Malinas Glory.

Allen said: “He really handled the conditions, which you need to do today, and the extra three furlongs suited him as well. He jumped a fraction left and I let him run down the last two just to make sure. Soft ground could be the key to him.”

The Shane Crawley-trained The Big Cloud (4/1) capitalised on a final flight-error from half-length runner-up Boston Bongo to win the D&J Glazing Handicap Hurdle for owner Paul Kelly and jockey Sean O’Keeffe.

Crawley said: “She had two good runs and then had a blip after her last run, but her back wasn’t right and she was very sore. Lisadell Equine and Kevin McCarthy did a good job with her. She jumped brilliantly today and I’m delighted.”

THE Charles Byrnes-trained Aodhan May (15/2) continued her remarkable progress when adding the Ishka Handicap Hurdle to three recent wins and one second.

Ridden by Philip Byrnes, Aodhan May - for the second time - beat her February rival Cosmo Renfro into second place, scoring by a half length.

“She wins again!” said the winning trainer. “Only for it keeping raining, she wouldn’t have won and obviously the jump at the last helped.”

King off the mark

Another local winner was the Barry Fitzgerald-trained Ballycallan King (11/2) in the Camden Square Novice Handicap Hurdle, scoring by 10 lengths under Sean Cleary-Farrell for the delighted Limerick-based Saddle Her Up Syndicate.

Fitzgerald said: “I’m delighted for Godfrey Green, who leased out the horse to the boys. Stephen Downey is the head of the syndicate and has had horses with me since I started.”