THE weather put paid to much of the racing in the period under review with last Friday evening’s meeting at Dundalk Stadium providing the most of the news for this column.

Mentioned elsewhere, Dylan Browne McMonagle joined forces with Armagh owner/trainer Ronan McNally to land the two-mile William Hill Pick Your Places Handicap with Dreal Deal who was led up by Kian ‘Tubbs’ McNally.

This was a first win on just his second start on the Polytrack for the seven-year-old Arvico gelding who had finished third under Colin Keane over a mile and a half of the Co Louth racecourse at the end of November.

Brown McMonagle went on to compete a double in division one of the extended 10-furlong handicap on the Thomas Gibney-trained Blackstone Cliff who, in a driving finish, won by a nose, a head and a short head at odds of 20/1.

The six-year-old Canford Cliffs gelding had to survive a stewards’ enquiry before being confirmed the winner.

Trained by Ado McGuinness and ridden by Adam Caffrey, Is That Love won the seven-furlong William Hill Racing Radio Handicap for Armagh owners Mark Devlin, Gary Devlin and Nigel O’Hare.

The five-year-old Es Que Love gelding, who scored by neck at odds of 9/1, was recording his third victory at the track and his seventh in total. Of course, he didn’t win when I napped him in the past!

Ewing wins on the flat

BACK on the level following five rides over jumps at Cork the previous Sunday, Sam Ewing partnered the Denis Coakley-trained Super Over to a length victory in the apprentice rated race over a mile. At Thurles on Sunday, Simon Torrens landed the two-mile, seven-furlong rated novice hurdle on the John McConnell-trained Grand Soir who justified 9/4 joint-favouritism by two and three-quarter lengths. Torrens was also on board the six-year-old Cokoriko gelding when he won a novice hurdle on his previous start at Cork in mid-October and when he landed his maiden before then at Kilbeggan in August.

This was a third start but a first completion for the Dara McGill-ridden Jet Away bay who had been purchased by Ewing’s head girl, event rider Sarah Sproule, at Tattersalls Ireland in May last year.

Northern Reel is out of the Kris Kin mare Christmas Kate, a half-sister to five winners including the Jareer horse Hangover Square who was champion horse in Scandinavia in 1998 and won 18 races in total.

Downpatrick’s Deckie Lavery recorded his third success of the season when landing the winners of one on the six-year-old Kayf Tara gelding Hans Gruber who is trained by a former huntsman with the Co Downs, Ian Donoghue.

Boulta

Down in Boulta, the colours of Mayobridge owner Patsy Murphy were carried to victory in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden on the home-bred debutant Twoconduit who is trained by Ciaran Fennessy.

Not too surprisingly a son of the deceased Conduit, the chesnut is the first of five recorded foals out of the unraced Gamut mare Maid In Glenavy whose own dam, Miss Emer (by King’s Theatre), numbered a Grade 3 juvenile hurdle at Fairyhouse among her four wins.