Review LISTOWEL 19TH SEP

Dream Castle supplied Tyrone trainer Barry Potts and Athlone rider Paddy Merrigan with their first Irish winner when making all in the Bank Of Ireland Handicap Hurdle.

Merrigan, who has ridden ten winners since moving to Britain this year, celebrated his 19th birthday in the best possible fashion as he gave the top-weight a well-judged ride from the front to beat Ballintry Guest by 3L.

Potts worked with Enda Bolger for three years before taking out a licence in February, and stabled the gelding with the Limerick trainer last night following a six hour journey from Strabane.

'It's nice to beat Kerry before next Sunday!' quipped Potts before adding, 'I have eight in training at present and have had four winners in Britain including this horse twice at Hexham and Cartmel.'

Davenport Milenium was expected to open his account over fences in the beginners chase but the 4/7 favourite could never get in a blow at the front-running Waltons Mountain.

Davy Russell's mount maintained his clear advantage in the straight to beat Clearly In Motion by ten lengths with the odds-on shot a neck back in third.

'This horse has genuine excuses for every run in his life and there is a chance he could be a nice horse. The amount of things that have gone wrong with him are unbelievable,' said Tony Mullins.

He added, 'Davy said he has a definite preference for going left-handed, and we'll look now for a winners of one.'

Border Cat took the feature on day two as David Wachman's juvenile appreciated the rain-softened ground in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Premier Nursery.

The Storm Cat colt travelled well on the heels of the leaders for Wayne Lordan, partnering his 33rd winner of the season, keeping on strongly after leading in the straight to beat Camisado by 1 1/2L.

Michael Halford's best seasonal tally on the Flat continues to increase, and Nerys brought the total to 45 when making all under Rory Cleary in the juvenile fillies maiden.

Lady Clague's home-bred jumped out smartly from the stalls and quickly pulled her way to the front, staying on well in the straight to deny British raider Ebonywood by half a length.

'We decided to come here against her own sex instead of the Curragh last weekend. She should make a better three-year-old as she's quite tall,' said the Curragh trainer.

Ucanstep is a real favourite of Elizabeth Sheehan, and the Mallow apprentice gained her fourth win on the Con Collins-trained gelding, and seventh in all, in division one of the Kirby's six furlong handicap.

On a great day for front-runners, the five-year-old gelding kept on well for Sheehan (23) in the final furlong to beat top-weight Dafaroun by a length.

There was a cracking finish half-an-hour later in division two as Bahrain Gold asserted away from a line of four horses inside the final 100 yards for Robbie Burke to beat Faynita by 1 1/2L.

Son Of Mary got his jumping career off to a winning start when leading approaching two out to beat Ossiana by 1 1/2L and provide Paul Carberry with his first winner since returning from injury.

'It looked at home as if he jumped as well as you would expect a horse to jump without a run,' said trainer Martin Browne of the Tramore Flat winner.

Lord Over was patiently ridden by James O'Farrell in the bumper, coming through with a perfectly timed challenge in the straight to beat On You Go by 1L.

The jackpot pool was not won for the second successive day, and the pool of 18,952 is carried forward to tomorrow afternoon's meeting.

Alan Magee