John Oxx and Fran Berry combined to land a valuable double at Cork's well-attended bank holiday fixture yesterday.
The pair's brace was completed when the previous course winner Miss Honorine secured a dream passage through on the winner to land the featured King Charlemagne Platinum Stakes. The daughter of Highest Honor led inside the closing stages to beat One Won One by a lengths and according to Oxx's assistant 'Slim' O'Neill, she will continue to be campaigned in Listed company.
Miss Honorine is owned by Tom wilson and the northerner had earlier seen his colours carried to victory by the Oxx-trained Brocheta in the Second Empire European Breeders Fund Handicap.
Aidan O'Brien's domination of the two-year-old scene continued as he saddled a 1-2 in the opening Danehill Dancer Maiden with Great Pyramid and Kimberley Mine.
O'Brien now intends stepping-up the winner Great Pyramid, which was partnered by Colm O'Donoghue, to Group class.
Philip Carberry proved to be a more than able deputy for the sidlined David Casey by guiding She's Our Girl to success for Michael Holden in the Mull Of Kintyre Handicap and the victorious four-year-old will probably now take her chance in a Listed race.
Keith Hadnett, last week's Galway Plate winning jockey, continued his rich vein of form by teaming up with the absent Robert Tyner to collect the Flemensfirth Handicap Hurdle with the well-related Town Gossip. Formerly trained by Les Eyre, Town Gossip could well contest another handicap hurdle at Kilbeggan on Friday evening.
Hadnett later went on to land the Oscar Maiden Hurdle with the Paul Roche-trained Fay Macha. Owned by her Waterford solicitor breeder Gerard Halley, Fey Macha beat favourite Good Vintage by a comfortable four lengths.
John McNamara, the former four times point-to-point champion, was on the mark when guiding the Nick Nelson-trained Clearly Best to victory over Faeroe Isle in the closing Saddlers Hall Flat Race.
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