So so smooth for Northgate

Joe Murphy's decision to bring Northgate out quickly after his excellent effort behind Famous Name and Sharestan at Leopardstown on Sunday, paid a handsome dividend, as the admirable seven-year-old brought up a double for the Fethard, County Tipperary operator and rider Pat Smullen in the concluding dundalkstadium.com Handicap.

The front running Tantalising left a nice gap up the inner in the straight. Smullen soon seized on the opening and his Mujadil partner was 'running-away.' When asked to assert, the 2/1 favourite quickly put the race to bed, going away to beat Charpoy by two and three parts of a length.

The Murphy team had earlier been successful with Hawkswood and Joe junior said: "That's probably his handicapping done now. He'll be running in listed and group races up to a mile and six.

"We might look at the Saval Beg and he could go to Ascot.

"We’ll look at some of the big summer jumps prizes too. He's been working well at home but there's hardly a lot of improvement in him as a seven-year-old." (MG & EM)