Mulvany's luck changes as he teams up with Carroll

A look back on how Meath jockeys and trainers fared out on the racecourses of Ireland

On the opening weekend of the season a number of Michael Mulvany's horses went close to winning but at Navan on Wednesday of last week the trainer had better luck as he shared two winners with Gary Carroll.

The pair combined to take the five-furlong handicap with Seeingisbelieving, second at the Curragh on the previous Saturday, in the colours of the Clearys Syndicate. The 9/2 favourite got the better of the James McAuley’s Tawaazon, ridden by Colin Keane, by three-parts of a length. Duke Of Leggagh, runner-up in the Madrid Handicap at Naas four days earlier, went a place better to complete the double in the 10-furlong handicap.

A strong 6/4 favourite, he readily saw off the short-lived challenge of the Noel Meade-trained Tea Olive to score by seven lengths. Meade and Colin Keane had earlier shared a winner of their own as the Philip Munnelly-owned Black Hawk Eagle took the 13-furlong handicap in battling fashion.

The five-year-old, a 9/2 chance, came from off the pace to lead inside the final furlong and beat the Shane Crawley-trained Kalmira by two and a half lengths.

Gordon Elliott landed the first race of the day at both Limerick and Naas on Thursday afternoon. At Limerick, the Corey McGivern-ridden 4/5 favourite Media Naranja made amends for the narrowest of defeats at Navan at the beginning of March with a three and a quarter-length success in the fillies’ maiden hurdle for owners Bective Stud.

Local owner Kieron Gammell, his wife Trish, son Sam and daughter Annabel were on hand as By Your Side won the four-year-old maiden hurdle at the County Kildare venue. Ridden by Michael O'Sullivan, the 6/4 chance finally got his winning turn as he battled well from the final hurdle to pip Colm Murphy’s 11/8 favourite The Lovely Man by a short-head.

Liam McKenna rode his first winner for Noel Meade as Nucky Johnson took the two-mile rated novice hurdle at Naas. Owned by the Missed Flight Syndicate, the 7/2 chance was well supported in the pre-race betting and readily justified the support with a cosy five and a half-length win over the Declan Queally-trained 3/1 favourite Doyen Ta Win.

Tara trainer Shane Crawley and owner Grellan Dunner took the near three-mile handicap hurdle with 11/2 chance Elsannah. Ridden by Ian Power, the six-year-old was nicely clear over the final hurdle as she beat Colm Murphy’s 3/1 favourite Tangental by five and a half lengths.

At Wexford on Friday evening, Paddy O’Hanlon rode his 19th winner of the season as Oscer Romero, trained by Philip Rothwell, scored a battling success in the novice handicap chase. The BoyleSports Irish Grand National-winning jockey made all the running on the 9/1 chance which was recording his first victory in 18 months and his fourth in all. The eight-year-old held off the late run of the Paul Nolan-trained 11/4 favourite Mercury Lane to win by a neck in the familiar colours of owners Oliver and Marie Barden.

James McAuley landed a 1-2 in the seven-furlong claiming race at Dundalk on Friday where 13/8 favourite Rocky Dreams got the better of 4/1 chance Inflection Point. The same two horses filled the same places in the race a year ago when trained by Denis Hogan and Ado McGuinness respectively and this time Joey Sheridan got the winner home by a neck whereas last year’s winning margin was a head.

The father and son team of Gerry and Colin Keane were on the mark as the Restricted Movement Syndicate-owned Mephisto won the two-mile handicap. A 5/1 chance, the six-year-old led inside the final furlong to score by a length and a quarter from the Charles Weld-trained Fenomeno, the 25th winner the four-time champion jockey has ridden for his Dad. Clonalvy apprentice Adam Caffrey rode his first winner for trainer Charles Byrnes as Miss Abby Jools took the eight-furlong handicap.

Formerly trained by Michael Halford, the four-year-old was having her second start for new connections and came late to beat the James McAuley-trained Royal Tribute by a neck for owner Steven Heaphy. Colin Keane rounded off the fixture with a second winner when he took 10-furlong handicap on the Paul Flynn-trained Emeric. The strong 6/4 favourite had an easy time of it as he beat the Luke Comer’s Dark Street by two and a half lengths in the colours of owners Shane and Sheena Kenny.

With three winners, Gavin Cromwell certainly captured the headlines at Downpatrick on Sunday. He shared two of his winners with Keith Donoghue and the pairing got punters off to a wining start at as Law Eile took the two-mile five-furlong maiden hurdle.

The 11/10 favourite, owned and bred by Thomas Ward, took on the Gordon Elliott-trained Smooth Player after the final hurdle and led at the bottom of the hill to win by four and a half-lengths.

The trainer landed a second success as the Sean Flanagan-ridden Soldaro took the near two-mile three-furlong handicap hurdle at odds of 7/1. A maiden hurdle winner on his previous start at Clonmel, the five-year-old followed up with a one and a quarter-length win over the Michael Griffin-trained 3/1 favourite Parvos. Donoghue was back in the saddle as he and Cromwell won the Ulster National Handicap Chase with Malinga Girl.

A 13/2 chance, the six-year-old led after the final fence and pulled away to beat Declan Queally’s My Design by three and three-parts of a length for owners Colin and Jackie Russell. Cromwell also won the Ulster National last year with Spares Are Trumps.