Meath connections rule

The recent remarkable form of both Ger Lyons and Johnny Murtagh continued at Dundalk on Monday night when both recorded four-timers, with three of the winners were shared by the duo. Murtagh opened the meeting with a victory for the David Watchman stable in the fillies maiden aboard 4/7 favourite Pursuit Of Glory and half an hour later he teamed up with Lyons to take a maiden on 5/2 joint favourite Achak. Turk provided Murtagh with his third winner and Lyons with his second when the 9/2 joint favourite won a handicap. The Meath Chronicle racing columnist then gave the leg up to apprentice Emmet McNamara on 10/1 shot Kinetic Quest which scored in a nursery handicap. Four-timers for trainers or jockeys are a rare enough occurrence in racing, but Lyons and Murtagh both achieved the feat when the very consistent Ashka won a maiden at 9/4. The meeting was dominated by Meath trainers, with six of the eight winners being sent out by Royal County stables. Headford Rose, the 4/1 favourite trained in Dunderry by James Halpin and ridden by Fran Berry, won a fillies handicap and the Joanna Morgan-trained D"best, another 4/1 market leader ridden by Pat Smullen, took the concluding handicap. The atrocious Irish weather has wreaked havoc with sports fixtures this summer, but Laytown"s annual strand race meeting was a welcome exception last Thursday when local trainers and jockeys fared exceptionally well. Last year"s Aintree Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott scored a double and there were also two-timers for riders Declan McDonogh and Nina Carberry on the six-race cards which provided a couple of very close finishes. Elliott and McDonogh shared in a success when the Dansili gelding Silidan won the seven furlong claiming race at the very generous odds of 10/1 and on the evidence of this performance the five year-old could be one to follow in future races. Silidan was running for the Elliott stable for the first time in the colours of James Morrow and won snugly in a contest that was dominated by local trainers. Tom McCourt"s Rookwith was a length and three-quarters away in second, with the Ger Lyons-trained Rockazar a length and a half back in third place. 'He is in good form and I rode him on the sand myself last week - all 14 stone of me!,' Elliott said afterwards. The trainer went on to complete his double in the qualified riders handicap over seven furlongs and provided Carberry with her first winner in the process. Grand Opera, which is also owned by Morrow, was the 3/1 favourite and scored by a length and three-quarters from Shaimaa. Lyons also got into the frame here with the Andrew Duff-ridden Nortburn which was two lengths back in third position. Carberry followed up with her second winner an hour later when the 5/2 joint favourite Munich, which is trained by Edward Lynam, won another qualified riders race, beating the Lyons-trained Romeo"s On Fire by four and a half lengths. The runner-up was partnered by Duff and was the other joint favourite. Gerry Keane"s Four Corners got into the money when dead-heating for third place with Charlie Swan"s Tribes And Banner. McDonogh had initiated his riding double in the opening handicap over six furlongs when the in-form MT Weather obliged at odds of 7/1 for the Dick Donohoe stable. This race provided the most thrilling finish of the day and the former champion from Moynalty was seen at his very best to get the verdict. Patrickswell and Chris Geoghegan led the field a merry dance and looked capable of staying in front entering the final two furlongs, but McDonogh brought MT Weather with a blistering run and the verdict after a photo finish was a short head victory over Patrickswell. It was unusual to see top National Hunt jockey Ruby Walsh in action on the flat, but he partnered his father Ted"s January in the seven-furlong maiden. However, they had to be content with third place in another race that featured a very close finish. Davy Condon, who tasted success at the Cheltenham Festival aboard the Willie Mullins-trained Ebaziyan in the Supreme Novices Hurdle in 2006, steered 14/1 chance Topenhall to a head success from Pat Smullen"s mount Redwater River. Topenhall, which is trained by Daniel O"Connell and had been running well over hurdles, was having his first start on the level. The remaining race on the card, a six-furlong handicap, went in favour of the backers when 7/2 favourite Richelieu, the mount of Colm O"Donoghue and trained by James Lambe, scored by a length from Fran Berry"s mount Option Be. It was a good performance by the winner which carried top weight of 11 stone. Ruby Walsh also had to content himself with third place in this race aboard Ideal Appeal which was a further neck back in third place.