Martin and Madden land the feature Young Tom Madden rightly earned plaudits from Charles Byrnes for his handling of Mahrajaan on Wednesday and the 7Ib claimer struck again in the featured Guinness Premier Handicap at Listowel, on Ladies Day, aboard Shalamzar. Seven to one shot Shalamzar, the bottom-weight in this nine furlong event, came through from the rear to swamp Cairdiuil inside the final hundred yards. He then went on to register a two and a half length success over Hasanour. That one picked up the second spot close home. Winning trainer Tony Martin said: "It was magic – great. I'm delighted for Timmy (Fitzgerald, winning owner). He was 'ballsy' enough to buy him when a few other lads shied away and didn't go through with the deal. He's a great fella. "He's a Kerry man but he's changed his colours to the Dubs. He's up there for the past thirty or forty years. He's up there beside me in north County Dublin even though I'm an out and out Meath man myself. "I don't know where we'll go now. He's a decent horse. He was very unlucky in Galway. He just needed time. He's a big old fashioned type. He had the class to do that so I'm sure there's probably another race or two like that in him. We'll get him home and take it from there." For his part Madden commented: "It was great. Tony is my uncle and he told me to ride him as I found him – whatever way he was travelling and happy. "I sat and suffered and waited for the gaps to open and when I asked him he opened up the pipes well." (TW & EM)
