Grey Danube was lively in the market this morning, backed in from around 12/1, and despite proving easy on course (9/2 out to 6s), he scored in style under Leigh Roche in the Crowne Plaza Leading Jockey & Trainer Awards 2014 Handicap at Dundalk.

For a six furlong event, the nine runners finished well strung out here, and after the successful grey took it up over a furlong out, he went on to account for Your Pal Tal by a length and a half.

Winning trainer Darren Bunyan said: "It's great to see him back in form again. We expected a bit more the last night and it's not that he let us down. He just didn't get the luck on the night. He's made up for it there though.

"A lot of sprinters don't seem to peak until they are five or six and hopefully he can keep going. That's as long as the handicapper doesn't think he's Black Caviar!"

J.L. Joyce, rider of Taaluf trained by M.Halford, reported to the Stewards' Secretaries that his mount reared up on leaving the stalls and the nearside leather on his saddle came undone when he was getting into stride.

(AM & EM)