Double leaves Murtagh three ahead
Murtagh completed a fine double at Dundalk last night, gaining a last gasp victory on Paul Flynn’s Mr Red Clubs in the two-year-old claimer and following-up when Reggae Rock, second leg of a double for Ger Lyons (successful earlier with promising two-year-old debutant Piri Wango), got the better of Acushladear in the Christmas Parties At Dundalk Handicap.
Trailing by four, Smullen responded when recording a rare success for Aidan O’Brien on Justification in the concluding maiden, foiling Murtagh’s mount Ariyfa.
The listed Colley Fillies Stakes was dominated by British raiders, Clinical, ridden by Seb Sanders for Mark Prescott (on his first visit to the new Dundalk), getting the better of Night Lily by a nose.
It was a third consecutive listed win for Clinical, which Prescott expects to stay in training next season. But Sanders picked-up a two-day whip ban for his trouble.
Meanwhile in Britain Silvestre de Sousa ensured the race for the jockeys’ championship will go to the final day of the season at Doncaster today with a four-timer on the penultimate day.
De Sousa’s brave effort, capped by victory in the last race of the night at Wolverhampton, means Paul Hanagan leads his long-time pursuer by four.
Brazilian ace De Sousa has four booked rides on Town Moor to Hanagan’s seven, and will need to win them all to share the title, unless he picks up a spare, with the standings 165-161 in the defending champion’s favour.
De Sousa started with a double at Ffos Las, but inclement weather prevented his pre-booked helicopter from taking him to Wolverhampton’s evening card, meaning he had to do the 130-mile journey by road at rush hour.
Having missed his first three mounts, his heart would have sunk on arriving at Dunstall Park to find out Hanagan had struck with a brilliant ride on Berbice (11-1) in the first division of the Breeders’ Cup Only On ATR Handicap.
However, De Sousa made up for lost time, winning the next on Trojan Rocket (3-1) and followed-up with Raucous Behaviour (8-1).
