Jim Bolger landed his second juvenile race of the new season when Snowflake Dancer came out best in a blanket finish to the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction Maiden at Dundalk.
The trainer was handed a Curragh contest in the stewards' room last weekend but there was no need for any intervention this time as the 9-2 winner kept up with the pace all the way under Kevin Manning.
There was plenty of trouble behind, particularly for favourite Bible Black but Snowflake Dancer shaded English raider One Kool Dude by a short head to give stallion Dylan Thomas his first success with his first runner.
Bolger and Manning doubled up when Gleadhradh (13-2) pulled out all the stops through the final furlong to hold Balmont Mast by a head in the Crowne Plaza Race & Stay Package Median Auction Maiden.
Joseph O'Brien livened up the closing weeks of the 2010 season with his titanic battle for the apprentices' title and he got on the scoreboard for the first time in the new campaign in the dundalkstadium.com Handicap.
The co-champion got the Willie McCreery-trained Big Tex away smartly and in a desperately tight finish the well-backed 10-1 shot just held Red Army Blues late charge by a short head.
Another of the three co-champions, Gary Carroll, took the Dundalk Stadium On Facebook Maiden on the Michael Halford-trained Barrow Island
The four-year-old, placed three times last season, was sent off the 5-4 favourite and gave backers few worries, travelling sweetly just off the pace and taking charge in the final furlong to win by two lengths.
Cheltenham Festival-winning rider Paul Townend needed all his jumps strength to force the Denis Cullen-trained Opening Nite (25-1) a head in front in the shadow of the post in the Fundraising Made Easy At Dundalk Handicap.
Colm O'Donoghue eased Bubbly Bellini (4-1 joint-favourite) out at the two pole and Adrian McGuinness's four-year-old swept through to take the [email protected] Handicap by a length and a half.
