Four Champions Weekend opening day winners for Ger Lyons

Only 12 days after he saddled his 1,000th winner trainer Ger Lyons completed a remarkable four-timer on the opening day of Champions Weekend at Leopardstown today.

When Masen (11/2) flashed past the post for the fourth winner it brought the odds to a massive 16,301/1 with champion jockey Colin Keane on board three of the winners and Gary Carroll also on one.

Masen won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF 'Sovereign Path' Handicap under Colin Keane.

The opening race of Irish Champions Weekend, the Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes, saw Lyons and Keane win with Panama Red.

They followed that in the second when Atomic Jones (10/1) took the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes.

Gary Carroll was on board the Lyons-trained Camorra (18/1) to win the the Group 3 Paddy Power Stakes with the champion jockey on the Lyons-trained runner-up (beaten a neck) Thunder Kiss.

“It's what dreams are made of,” said Lyons who was at the races today.

“The team as a whole deserve huge credit, they knew this is what I was targeting all year.

“I said all year that Champions Weekend was where we were going and whatever we have is going to be aimed at it.

"It's one thing saying that, but another delivering it, everything has to fall right for you and it has," he added.

There was a real Meath flavour to the day as another trainer with strong Meath connections, Jessica Harrington, had three winners.