Barba Papa is likely to bid for a repeat success in the Ascot Stakes at Royal Ascot later this month after he got back to winning ways at Tralee yesterday.
With Irish Grand National winning rider Timmy Murphy in the saddle,Tony Martin's smart dual purpose performer made all the running to win the Ballybeggan Racegoers Club Hurdle. He was left a distance clear when odds-on favourite Donadino fell when in with every chance at the third last flight.
Martin said, 'We will see how he comes out of this and will make concrete plans concerning Ascot next week'. If Barba Papa runs in the Ascot handicap, Johnny Murtagh will ride, as he did twelve months ago.
Murphy, among the winners at Sligo on Sunday, completed a double when Get Along ran out the comfortable winner of the Fenit Mares Maiden Hurdle.
The Baltimore Man and Charlie Swan made all the running to win the Joseph J Grace Memorial Novice Hurdle. The Tony Mullins-trained 1 to 3 favourite will next run at Tipperary and then go to Galway.
Shallee, a faller at the second last when clear at Tipperary last time, made no mistake in the Ballybeggan Racegoers Club Handicap Hurdle, winning by three lengths under Philip O'Brien at odds of 6 to 4.
A winner at Cork on Saturday, Lucky Gem made a quick return to the winners enclosure after readily accounting for Ealshill Song in the Denny Handicap Hurdle.
There were a total of 31 non-runners throughout the afternoon, 20 of which were withdrawn due to ground conditions. Although described as 'good to yielding, good in places' at declaration time on Sunday morning, the going was altered to read 'good to firm' by the first race yesterday.
