Johnny Murtagh leads Pat Smullen by four in the race for the jockeys' crown after Righteous Man struck gold at Dundalk.

Racing was delayed due to a temporary lack of sufficient ambulances, but the Bookings dundalkstadium.com Nursery eventually kicked off proceedings and fell to the Murtagh-ridden Righteous Man.

The Ballydoyle number one played a waiting game on Ger Lyons' 7-2 shot and delivered him inside the final furlong to beat Blaze Brightly by a length and a quarter.

Murtagh is now on 89 winners for the season, with Smullen on the 85 mark.

The future also appears bright for Righteous Man, who looks an out-an-out stayer readily capable of holding his own over middle distances.< Rock Pipit (16-1) had shown glimpses of ability in her three outings and broke her duck under Wayne Lordan in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.

The daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar stuck on well inside the final furlong to see off the late challenge of 25-1 shot Tillahow by three-quarters of a length.< Liberty To Rock (12-1) also ended a losing run in the www.dundalkstadium.com Maiden.

The three-year-old colt had gone 14 races without tasting success but looked rejuvenated under the Dundalk floodlights.

Sent on his way two furlongs from home, Declan McDonogh's mount maintained a smooth attack to the line to prevail by a neck from Curl Cat < Bay Knight helped further enhance the reputation of rising star Keagan Latham in the dundalkstadium.com Handicap.

The classy rider cut loose with a withering late run on the outside of the field to streak to victory at odds of 14-1.< Copper Dock was second, three-quarters of a length adrift, while the 3-1 favourite Green Manalishi was very disappointing.

It was Bay Knight's second consecutive success after a recent foray to Kempton, where he impressed in a good handicap in October.

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