Bumper double for O'Connor

Derek O'Connor completed a Ballinrobe bumper double when 7/4 favourite Backtonormal landed the John Madden & Sons Flat Race.

Placed on Rules debut at Cork last month, the Milan gelding raced close to the pace and led on the approach to the straight. Despite edging slightly left in the final furlong, the Mag Mullins-trained five-year-old stayed on well to fend off Alvaniy by three parts of a length.

O'Connor, out of luck on Cheltenham runner-up Its On the Line (faller) in the Foxhunters at Aintree yesterday, said: " It was worth my while coming back from Aintree. You can't beat Irish racing with all the festivals and everything, especially up the west. Galway, Roscommon, Sligo and Ballinrobe is the king of them all!

"He ran in a real good, competitive race when he was third in Cork and he's after coming forward from it and that's a nice performance today.

"Mags is a wonderful lady to target races and I imagine a winners' bumper might be next or he might be offered for sale."

The five-year-old was led out unsold for £78,000 at Cheltenham in January shortly after finishing runner-up in a point-to-point at Ballycrystal.