INCREDIBLY, two of the six races at Knockmullen House on Sunday resulted in dead-heats and there were a couple of first-time doubles on the card too including ones for Cork native Brian Dunleavy.

Dunleavy kickstarted his afternoon with success in the opening four-year-old mares’ maiden aboard the Ellen Doyle-trained Royale Dancer (3/1 - 4/1) who managed to join the Luke Murphy-ridden Dontyawantme (2/1 - 3/1 joint-favourite) on the line, with the judge unable to separate the pair. Royale Dancer was carrying the colours of the Baltimore Stables Syndicate while Dontyawantme is owned and trained in Wexford by Denis Murphy.

“She’s a good tough mare. She’s quite big and they probably went too slow. I was jumping to the front and I could have done with a lead for a bit longer,” said Luke Murphy of Dontyawantme.

“I got tight to the second last but she flew home. I thought I had got up on the line but with the angle, it’s hard to gauge. It was probably the fairest result, they’re two nice mares anyway.”

Dunleavy brought up his double in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden which also resulted in a dead-heat between his Irish Blaze (8/1 - 4/1) and the Conor Moore-ridden Twosarewild (7/1 - 8/1).

Twosarewild was trained by Vincent Deveruex and owned by James Deveruex while Irish Blaze was carrying the colours of his trainer, Robert McCabe.

First double

A delighted Dunleavy said: “That’s my first double and it was a dead-heat for both of them! I’m very lucky between James and Ellen Doyle, Tom Keating and Michael Griffin – all the horses are running really well and they’re all in very good order. I think there’s a good year ahead of us.

“I knew it was close there at the line. He was constantly battling back every time I gave him a shove. He didn’t deserve to lose it because he did all the dirty work out in front and jumped super.”

The success in that dead-heat of Twosarewild also initiated a double for Moore which is completed in the concluding older geldings’ maiden race onboard the Thomas Byrne-trained Benefits Jeu (4/1 - 6/1).

Off the bridle

The son of Scorpion took up the lead on the turn for home and he never came off the bridle as he scored by eight lengths from the Tom Harney-ridden Easca Mor.

Benefits Jeu had shown little in two previous starts but this was a much-improved effort from six-year-old.

“He was ready to run the on the last day of the season at Grennan but it was abandoned. We had him fit and well at home. He did a piece of work two weeks ago at Killinick gallops and did a really good piece against a couple of four-year-olds. We knew he would run well today.

“The only worry was the ground. His jumping is super and I was able to get breathers everywhere. I quickened away turning up the hill and had plenty left in the tank,” said Moore, of the Denis Moore-owned winner.

THE winners’ contest featured several recent maiden winners and it provided a thrilling finish between Is A Real Champ and Rose Of Coolbally (5/2 - 7/2), with the latter coming out on top after a great battle between the pair up the home straight.

The winner, who is trained by Willie Murphy and was ridden by his wife Moira McElligott, had only been seen a week earlier shedding her maiden tag at Tattersalls, but she overcame that quick turnaround to prevail by a length and a half.

“Moira gave that a great ride! It wasn’t the plan to run her back as quick but she was in good form at home so that’s why she ran. We’ll probably give her a small break now.

“She was quite good there though and she’s probably still learning. I think here’s more improvement to come,” said Murphy, of the Peter Tyrrell-owned winner.

Experienced

The four-year-old geldings’ maiden saw seven runners face the starter and it was the most experienced of those, Bearwithmenow (4/1 - 6/1), who came out on top for Jack Hendrick and Garrett Power.

The winner, who had run three times on the track and once between the flags prior to this effort, showed great staying qualities on the run-in to beat the Sean Doyle-trained Horus Du Cerisier by two lengths.

“He got a few runs in maiden hurdles there but he was just a bit babyish. I had never ridden the horse before – Garret just rang me during the week to see if I could ride him,” said Hendrick of the Tom O’Hanlon-owned winner.

“The hurdle runs seem to have brought him on and the cheekpieces brought out a big improvement.

“He jumps and stays well.”

THERE was a wide-open look to the older mares’ maiden with three of the runners going off as the 3/1 co-favourites but none of them could live with the Michael Murphy-trained and Dan Nevin-ridden, Midway To Getaway (4/1 - 6/1).

The daughter of Getaway was coming here off the back of a 189-day break that has clearly done her the world of good as she won by a length and a half from the Liam Casey-trained Rule Of June.

“She did that well. There was no pace on and we crawled early on. Bonny Dazzler then went on and I was happy to let her go on as I had it in the back of my mind that they were going to get tired.

“I knew my mare was fit and well and that she’d stay going. She found more again near the line when the other horse came near me,” said Nevin, of the Redbridge Stables-owned winner.

Horse To Follow

Is A Real Champ (S. T. Doyle): The Monbeg Partnership-owned gelding was unlucky to get headed near the line in the winners’ contest but he should have little difficulty in picking up a similar winners’ race before the autumn is out