Weld and Keane seal brace with Ciel D'afrique

Ciel D'afrique snapped a run of four runner-up finishes in a row with a stout staying performance in the mile and a half maiden at Roscommon.

He gave Dermot Weld and Colin Keane a brace on the card as they also teamed up with Malayan in race two.

The even-money favourite tracked King Of Cashel in a close second while racing a tad keenly and was given his head to go on out of the back straight.

The Sea The Stars gelding was on good terms with himself turning for home with less than three furlongs to navigate. Dunvegan was rousted along to try and chase him down in second coming to the final quarter of a mile.

Keane went for the whip racing past the two pole and his partner found plenty to have Dunvegan failing to make an impression at the furlong marker.

Ciel D'afrique toughed it out well and Keane could afford to ease up close home as the pair won a shade snugly by a length and a quarter.

Dunvegan (at a well-backed 7/2) ran a solid race in second. He is better known for his National Hunt exploits.

King Of Cashel hit the line third, a further three lengths adrift at 40/1.

Keane said: “He deserved that, he's been very consistent in defeat.

“He had a good run the last day in Galway when he was a little bit keen in Finny's (Maguire) hands. Even there again today he was a little keen.

“He was just getting relaxed and Mark's horse (Enright on King Of Cashel) half ran off the first bend and set him alight a little bit. He did it well considering how hard he was on himself.

“He's a fine, big, strong horse. If he gave himself a chance, he might get further. Maybe in better races he might relax and there could be a good pot in him somewhere along the way.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson