DOWNPATRICK’s Turley family head this week’s list of breeders as they were responsible for two winners – one over jumps and one on the level.

Just to be different, we’ll start in reverse order here with Kairyu who, on her debut, landed the opening five-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden at Naas on Wednesday.

The Kuroshio bay is the only foal registered with Weatherbys out of the British-bred Loup De Vega mare Vegatina who comes from the family of Girouette and Blackbeard.

Ridden on Wednesday by Colin Keane, Kairyu ran in the colours of her trainer, Michael O’Callaghan who went to €80,000 to secure her at the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale at Tattersalls Ireland in late May. The filly was consigned to that sale by the Turleys’ Kingsfield Stud on behalf of the Kingsfield Breeze-Up Syndicate.

In contrast to that precocious filly, the Sandy Foster-trained Dr Shirocco finally got off the mark on his 27th racecourse start when winning the two and a half-mile handicap chase at Hexham on Sunday. The eight-year-old Shirocco gelding is out of the dual-winning hurdler Uncommited (by Dr Massini), a half-sister to the Grade 2-winning chaser Afistfullofdollars, and was bred in partnership by the Turleys and veterinary surgeon J.P. King.

Last Thursday week, the William Knight-trained Paradise Row landed the 10-furlong fillies’ maiden at Chelmsford on her third start. The Zoffany bay was bred by Banbridge’s John and Margery Adams and is the fourth of six registered foals, and the third winner, out of the winning Canford Cliffs mare Poplar Close. Paradise Row was consigned to the 2021 September Yearling Sale at Tattersalls Ireland by Olive O’Connor Bloodstock who, in February, sold her 2022 Invincible Army half-sister at Goffs.

On the same day, but in the evening at Uttoxeter, the opening National Hunt maiden hurdle over two miles was won by Stuart Crawford’s former charge Largy Gift who was having his third start, and the first after a lengthy break, for Middleham veterinary surgeon Neil Mechie. The seven-year-old Shirocco gelding was bred by Largy Bloodstock and is the first of just three recorded foals out of the unraced Dr Massini mare Rowansgift, a half-sister to Emperor’s Choice and from the family of Old Vic.