Barney is king for a day

BRIAN O’Connell bounced back from the controversial defeat of Dunguib at Cheltenham to register a double on Barney King and Caim Hill at Down Royal yesterday.

O’Connell, who shrugged off the criticism by stating: “As far as I’m concerned, the tactics were right,” produced third reserve Barney King to lead between the last two flights before landing the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Hurdle for former Champion Hurdle winning trainer John Carr.

“He showed promise first time before disappointing us, so we gave him a break. The better ground helped him a lot,” explained Carr.