Brown follows up Punchestown festival success at Ballinrobe

Conditional jockey Oakley Brown followed up a Punchestown festival winner last week with another today as he landed Ballinrobe's opening Adare Manor Opportunity Maiden Hurdle on the Bill Durkan-trained Wandering Rocks (4/1).

Brown, who had taken 18 months away from the sport prior to returning to race-riding this winter, steered Durkan's Eagle Fang to score at the big Kildare festival last week and today, on his second ride of the new season, steered Wandering Rocks to a length-and-a-half win from Drumgill

Durkan's assistant Gary Bannon subsequently said "Wandering Rocks was purchased last year in the horses in training sale and had a very good first run in Listowel but then probably got bogged down through the winter in the very soft ground.

"He'll probably be a better horse stepping up in trip and could be a right horse around the summer tracks. It's nice to get today out of the way and we'll make a plan for him through the summer.”

He then quipped "Bill (Durkan) is a Mayo man and it's always great for him to get a winner down here because us Dubs keep beating them in Croke Park!"

Quotes from Mark Nunan