Quick-fire double for Russell

DAVY RUSSELL took the riding honours at Wexford’s last meeting of 2004 yesterday, recording an early double on Crooked Throw and Whizbang.

Russell made every yard of the running on the Charlie Swan-trained Crooked Throw in the opening Lingstown Maiden Hurdle, the five-year-old staying on strongly to beat locally-trained favourite Escrea convincingly.

Swan will now try to find a ‘winners of one’ for Crooked Throw, which is owned by the Hogan Wood Whelan Syndicate, which includes former rugby internationals Keith Wood and Pa Whelan.