RATHKEALE conditional jockey Calum Hogan rode his first winner since St Stephen’s Day at Limerick when recently partnering the eight-year-old Woodstream Lad (14/1) to land the two and a quarter-mile handicap hurdle at Downpatrick.
Hogan missed a little over five months with a shoulder injury he picked up on the final day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
Elsewhere, the 10/1 chance Red Hugh O’Donnell led on the line to win the eight-furlong maiden for Ballingarry’s Gillian Scott on day two of the big Killarney Festival.
Perhaps an easier winner across the week was the Richard O’Brien (Ballingarry)-trained Spanish Temptress (13/8f) which landed the three-year-old handicap over the same distance in the colours of the Phoenix Rising Syndicate.
Ballingarry trainer William O’Doherty landed a 14/1 success as the nine-year-old Swelltime won the two and a half-mile opportunity handicap hurdle on Day Four at Killarney.
Eric McNamara (Rathkeale) notched a winner as the Hurling Mad Syndicate-owned Say It So (9/1) took the two-mile one-furlong handicap hurdle.
Bruree’s Enda Bolger won the opening division of the near three-mile handicap chase with the 5/2 favourite Tippin And Tappin on Friday.
Owned by the Storytellers Syndicate, the Darragh O’Keeffe-ridden six-year-old led at halfway and saw off the late challenge of Zolpharine to score.
At Leopardstown, Shanagolden’s Chris Hayes jumped into second place in the jockeys’ championship with a double, courtesy of Time Bender (33/1) and Tatum (11/4).
Championship leader Colin Keane is on 50 winners, while Ballingarry’s Billy Lee, sidelined through injury, has 40 winners to his name.
Meanwhile, Wesley Joyce of Moyross and trainer Michael Mulvany teamed up to win the seven-furlong apprentice handicap with Electric Beauty (14/1).
It was Joyce’s 11th success of the season.