Murtagh maintains title push with a double
The Meath man now leads reigning champion Pat Smullen 79-74 with just three meetings remaining.
Halford described Murtagh’s handling of Katherine Lee in the bookings@dundalkstadium.com Handicap as “brilliant’’, following a hard-earned head win over Tarrsille.
Katherine Lee made all and, having come wide up the straight, held on under strong handling, prompting Halford to comment: “She likes it around here and will be coming back. She was caught down the inside here before and was a bit intimidated. That’s why Johnny came up the centre of the track.”
The Halford / Murtagh double was completed when odds-on favourite Eastern Rules defied a 10lb hike for a win over course and distance in the Group Bookings At Dundalk Handicap.
Halford said: “He did everything great and battled well. After backing-up in a week, he deserves a break, to freshen him up. And he’ll come back here.”
Having shared the apprentice championship last year, Joseph O’Brien has had the 2011 title firmly in his sights throughout the season and brought his seasonal tally to an impressive 56 by completing a double on Wave and Flavia Ttiana, both trained by his father Aidan.
Wave showed good speed to land the five-furlong juvenile maiden, holding slow-starting market rival Hongkong Dancer by a half-length and prompting her rider to comment: “She didn’t get home over seven furlongs the last day, but showed good speed tonight and was suited by dropping back in trip.”
Flavia Tatiana captured the first division of the Christmas Parties At Dundalk Handicap at the expense of Elizabeth Coffee.
O’Brien said: “She has a lower mark on the all-weather, which was a help. And she felt fresh and well after her break.”
Kevin Ryan recorded his seventh win at Dundalk when Bajan Tryst, one of four British-trained challengers landed the Winter Racing At Dundalk Handicap under an enterprising ride by Declan McDonogh. The five-year-old, always prominent, fought tenaciously to hold off The Reaper by a neck with unlucky, gambled-on favourite Five Star Junior (backed from 6/1 to 11/4 favouritism) only a short-head away third.
In Ryan’s absence, McDonogh commented: “He has a great attitude and is very game — he stuck at it well when the others came at him. He moves well on the polytrack and hated the soft ground when I rode him in York.”
And McDonogh completed a double when the Kevin Prendergast-trained Ansaab denied Johnny Murtagh and Michael Halford a treble with Ariyfa in the concluding maiden.
