IRELAND are just two points off Wales & The West after the penultimate meeting in the Racing League at Wolverhampton on Thursday night.

The green silks struck with the George Boughey-trained and Billy Loughnane-ridden Koy Koy who took the extended mile handicap at 5/1.

It could have been a lot better as well, as team manager Kevin Blake played his final joker (points doubled) in the penultimate one-mile-six-furlong handicap but Tony Martin’s Belgoprince and Mark Lougnane’s Percy Jones could only manage fourth and fifth respectively in a messy race.

Wales & The West failed to register a winner on the night but just edged back in front through the placings in the final contest. Their manager Jamie Osborne has two jokers left to play which could be crucial but Blake, canny as ever, has a plan for the final night in Southwell on Thursday

Prior to racing on Thursday, he explained: “I only have two Irish-trained runners at Wolverhampton but that was very much deliberate because there was a mid-season rating drop across the board in Ireland.

“It did not apply to this week’s entries but it will apply for Southwell, so anything entered this week will be 2-3lb lower next week. I was encouraging the Irish trainers to wait so we can throw everything at it.”