McNamara and Whelan make mark

It was an evening to remember for former champion apprentice Emmet McNamara and champion-elect Ronan Whelan in Down Royal yesterday, where a double for Shane Foley brought his seasonal tally to 50.

2008 champion McNamara rode out his claim when Angela’s Dream, trained by his boss Ger Lyons, landed the Cruise Nursery while Whelan had his claim reduced from 5lb. to 3lb. when Fromajacktoaking captured the Hobbs 2-Y-0 Claiming Race for Curragh trainer Paul Deegan and the Named By Colm Partnership.

After seeing Angela’s Dream open her account in the nursery, racing prominently before holding the persistent challenge of top-weight Clancy Avenue by a neck, Lyons stated: “One of our targets for the season was for Emmet to ride out his claim. So this is a very important winner for him and for the lads (the RMS Racing Syndicate) — she’s their first winner.