IT was a good day if your name was Murphy at Dundalk’s Tuesday afternoon session, as trainers Pat and Danny both notched doubles.

Riders Leigh Roche and Donagh O’Connor also enjoyed a brace of winners and the latter teamed up with Danny Murphy to land the featured three-year-old ‘winners of one’, with 4/5 favourite Brigadier Kakuru.

A nursery winner over this six-furlong trip on his previous outing here in December, the Camacho gelding, owned by James Morgan, Richard Behan and Annaca Bloodstock Limited, again made all and found enough to fend off the challenge of Suerte by a head.

O’Connor said: “Danny just said to go ahead and do your own thing in front. I knew in my head I was going a stride quicker than I wanted to be, but I suppose three or four in behind him didn’t have his ability.

“When the horse came to his girth, he went on again and just had a little blow 50 yards out, and I thought the line just came in time for him.

“He’s a big horse, who covers loads of ground and he loves the surface. For a sprinter, he doesn’t have that many runs under his belt and I wouldn’t be afraid to drop him back to five furlongs.”

Hurdling a possibility

Top-weight Lost President (10/3) was O’Connor’s first winner of the day in the three-year-old handicap over a mile.

Having raced in mid-division on the inner, the son of James Garfield picked up well in the straight and headed Senior Montecristo in the closing stages to score by three-parts of a length.

The winner carried the colours of the Ross O’Sullivan Racing Syndicate and trainer O’Sullivan commented: “Up in trip and a good ride. Three-year-old only races seem to be weak enough at this time of year and seem to have small fields, so it actually worked out grand.

“He’s no superstar, but is capable of winning a race or two at his own level. He got the mile well there and we’ll see how he steps up to a mile and a quarter, as we move on through the year. Possibly, he could jump a hurdle later on in the year.”

Spot on

Danny Murphy’s Tribal Moon (11/2) had earlier provided Paddy Harnett with a welcome winner, when making just about all in the apprentice handicap over a mile.

The Abbeyfeale native, attached to Donnacha O’Brien’s stable, was up front throughout on Mrs John Murphy’s Teofilo gelding, who kept going well to hold Morning Approach by half a length.

Harnett said: “He had won and finished second here before. He was sixth the last day, but they found a bit of a niggly problem with him.

“Fair play to Danny and his team, they had him spot on for today. He did it easily, I was walking in front and he quickened well up the straight.”

PAT Murphy has his string in fine form and struck first with Fly To Glory (11/2), who showed plenty of early pace to get across from a wide draw in the six-furlong handicap.

Soon in front on the rail, the Cotai Glory gelding was ridden clear over a furlong out by Leigh Roche and held Velvet Skies by half a length.

The winning trainer said of the Bajan Invasion Syndicate’s six-year-old: “He hangs to the far side, but he finds.

“He’s a hot horse and takes a little bit of minding at home. I’d like to thank the owners for sticking with him, because we knew he had a bit of ability and it is paying dividends now.”

Shay is back again

A ready winner under Leigh Roche four days earlier, Cousin Shay (11/10fav) followed up to give the Galway native his double in the second split of the extended 10-furlong handicap.

On his first start beyond a mile, the six-year-old soon led and was keen early, but Roche got him settled well enough to last home by half a length from Deed Pole.

Damian Lavelle’s An Geall Is Fearr Teoranta owns the six-year-old, whose trainer Natalia Lupini said: “A very good ride by Leigh, he kept it simple and positive, and that was what we had in mind.

“Leigh thinks there might be a good race in him and the grass on good ground shouldn’t be a problem for him.”

SIGNOR Ferrari (11/2) completed Castlecomer-based Pat Murphy’s double, when landing the first division of the extended 10-furlong handicap.

Close to the pace throughout under Luke McAteer, Dorothy Heffernan’s four-year-old led over a furlong out and just held the late thrust of Storm Eric by a head.

“At home, he kind of works a bit keen, so we were trying him at shorter trips. He worked very well last week and kind of stayed at it, so we said we would let him back up to 10 furlongs.”

Hugh Horgan on fourth home Reclaim was found to have breached the whip rules by not affording his mount time to respond and, as it was his fifth offence in this regard, the stewards suspended him for 20 racedays.

Pavillion End (16/1) got up on the line to make a winning start under flat rules in the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Apprentice Maiden.

The Charles O’Brien-trained gelding, owned by Michael Keating, had been unplaced in three bumpers last year and came from last to first under Keithen Kennedy to pip Babich by a short head.

Kennedy said: “Charles told me not to panic if he was slowly away, which he was, and just to let him tip around behind them and see what he does. He did find and he’s a gorgeous horse.”