IT was good to see Sam Ewing return to the winner’s enclosure at Sligo on Wednesday evening when in-form trainer Peter Fahey provided the Co Antrim jockey with his first successful mount since his comeback from injury late last month.

Ewing, who partnered the five-year-old Mastercraftsman gelding The Truant to a three-length success (the grey’s first win on his 23rd start), fractured his pelvis in a fall at Down Royal in early May.

His last previous win had been on the Fahey-trained Ambitious Fellow in the final of the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series at the Punchestown Festival in April.

While that Fame And Glory gelding has won since under Simon Torrens, he and Ewing were re-united for the BoyleSports Handicap Hurdle at Galway on Saturday when they were brought down three out.

The following day at Galway, Conor Orr landed the extended two-mile-six-furlong conditions chase on the Lorna Fowler-trained Politesse while at Roscommon on Tuesday, Stuart Crawford sent out the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned Homme d’Un Soir to win the extended two-mile beginners’ chase in the hands of the owners’ retained jockey, Daryl Jacob.

Over jumps across the water, there was a double for Brian Hughes at Bangor last Friday.

AUGUST began well for Banbridge trainer Natalia Lupini as she saddled the locally-owned Dontspoilasale to land the five-furlong ARKequine ACME Nursery on his handicap debut at Naas on Monday.

Winning by one and three-quarter lengths under Wayne Lordan, the bay colt was sent off as the 5/2 joint-favourite in the six-runner field on the back of his three previous good starts in maiden company which were all over six furlongs.

Dontspoilasale comes from the first Irish-conceived crop of two-year-olds by the Exceed And Excel sire Kuroshio who stands at Starfield Stud in Co Westmeath. He runs in the colours of the Seven Stars Loungers Syndicate and was bred in Downpatrick by Pat Turley out of the winning Naaqoos mare Destiny’s Kitten.

The Turley family doubled up as breeders at Brighton on Wednesday when the Patrick Chamings-trained Amathus recorded his third career win in the seven-furlong handicap. A five-year-old gelding by Anjaal, the bay is the last of just four recorded foals, all colts, out of the four-time winner Effige (by Oratorio).

Also on the flat, the Thomas Heatrick-bred three-year-old Contactless (Dandy Man – She’s A Queen, by Peintre Celebre) won the opening seven-furlong handicap at Wolverhampton last Friday for the Declan Carroll yard while at Thirsk the following afternoon the Colin Kennedy-bred seven-year-old Danzan (Lawman – Charanga, by Cadeaux Genereux) struck for the Tim Easterby yard.

Further afield, to Clairefontaine in France where, on Sunday, the Andre Fabre-trained Galashiels won a mile-and-a-half listed race for three-year-olds in the hands of Mickael Barzalona.

A chesnut colt by Australia, Galashiels was winning for the third time in four starts – all this season – with his only defeat coming when second over a furlong futher at Fontainebleau in May.

He was bred by Stonethorn Stud Farms and is the second of three recorded foals out of the winning Duke Of Marmalade mare Glenmayne, the first being the winning New Approach gelding Sabousi.

Glenmayne, who was also bred by Stonethorn, is a half-sister to the multiple high-class winners Millisle (by Starspangledbanner) and Gino Severini (by Fastnet Rock).

PATIENTLY-trained by Karl Thornton and brilliantly-ridden by Robbie Colgan, the Brian Smyth-owned Shanroe won the three-runner mile-and-six conditions race at Galway last Friday evening.

This was a first start in 271 days for the eight-year-old Multiplex gelding who has recorded nine wins in total, via three in bumpers, two over hurdles and now four on the flat.

He holds entries in the early-closing Sky Bet Ebor Handicap at York on this day fortnight and in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger (Group 1) on September 11th. Both of these races are also over a mile and six furlongs.

ENGLAND-based Susie Berry, daughter of Dromore veterinary surgeon Callie and her husband Colin, has been named on the longlist for September’s world eventing championships in Italy with two horses, both Irish Sport Horse geldings.

Also on the list is Killyleagh’s Joseph Murphy with the Brandenburg gelding Calmaro.

WITH most of the major agricultural shows in the region now over, owners and riders of ex-racehorses will have to go further afield to find an opportunity to display their retraining skills.

On Sunday, September 4th, this will mean a short journey into Co Louth where Racehorse to Riding Horse Ireland is holding a show at the Piperstown Equestrian Centre (between Dunleer and Drogheda).

The schedule will feature the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders open class and the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing championship. There will also be in-hand classes and a working hunter section for both raced and unraced thoroughbreds.

BE it Jazz & Style or Style & Jazz, the meeting under those banners takes place tomorrow at Downpatrick where the first of the track’s fashion competitions of the year, that for The Most Stylish Hat and Accessories, will be judged. The gates open at 12.30pm and there will be live music before and after racing.

AN oil painting of the iconic image of A.P. McCoy crossing the line when winning the 2010 John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on the Don’t Push It is to be auctioned in Scarva Auctions on Monday evening.

The painting is signed by both the jockey and its Belfast artist, Alan Quigley.

Owned by J.P. McManus and trained by Jonjo O’Neill, the Old Vic gelding Don’t Push It was bred in Northern Ireland by Dominick Vallely.