Downey off the mark with gambled-on Larkin

Amazingly his half-sister (by City Honours) College Daisy won twice at Kilbeggan and Larkin landed a morning gamble from 16/1 into a starting price of half those odds with a fluent success in the Greville Arms Hotel Handicap Hurdle to provide his Slane-based trainer Patrick Downey with his first success on the track.

Downey got off the mark as a handler when Brega Queen won at Tyrella in January before following up in another 'point' with Sanmare in Farmacaffley in February. He produced Larkin, Robbie Colgan up, a runner-up 'between the flags,' in good shape to easily account for the front-runner The Tinker Murray Davy Russell got a fall from Inter Mutanda three out and he seemed to be nursing his arm afterwards. He was stood down for the evening.

Downey said: "We fancied him as we've been waiting for the fast ground for him. We hope to get to Galway with him – we'll see what the handicapper does.

"I pre-train and Larkin's owner John Rogers advised me to take out a licence which I did last November."