Mortlestown’s consistency is duly rewarded

There were seven races at yesterday’s Cloyne Harriers point-to-point fixture at Dromahane and the Tom Keating-trained Mortlestown attained due reward for his consistency by winning a vintage first division of the five and six-year-old geldings’ maiden in the hands of ‘Corky’ Carroll, who immediately dedicated the victory to his stricken colleague JT McNamara.

Mortlestown (5/2), a fine second on his two completed starts at Boulta and Dromahane (on December 30th), experienced a dream run through on the inner after the fourth last. The winning son of Milan went to the front on the approach to the final fence and he was always possessing too many aces for runner-up Smiles For Miles in the closing stages. Keating, who shares ownership Mortlestown with fellow handler Aidan Kennedy, intimated that the bay will now be offered at the joint-race sponsors’ DBS sale after racing at Newbury this Saturday.

Smiles For Miles’ rider Derek O’Connor still departed with three winners and he got off the mark aboard Robert Tyner’s Soaring High (3/1) in controversial circumstances in the winners of one. Soaring High, owned by Tom O’Brien from Killeagh, was initially beaten a neck into second spot by Colman Sweeney’s mount Carli King.