Tiger Royal,the first leg of a Dermot Weld double at the Curragh last Sunday, followed up over the minimum trip in the hands of Pat Smullen on the first meeting of the year at Tipperary yesterday.
Formerly with Dandy Nicholls for a period which yielded no success in six outings the six-year-old grey, who returned back to Rosewell House last August, has been rejuvenated by Dermot Weld and was recording his fourth career success, his third over the straight five furlongs.
Dermot Weld said, after his charge held off Galloway Boy, 'He has to be covered up and he had everything going for him there tracking some of the speed horses. I don't know what happened when he went over to England - it must have been the English air! I still think six is probably his best trip but he's not too bad over the five either.'
Jim Bolger, who has a string of 80 horses riding out at his Coolcullen base this season including 40 juveniles, saddled Feel The Pride to initiate a 15/1 double in the twelve furlong handicap and justify strong support from 9/2 to 3/1 favourite in the process.
Later, Bolger and stable jockey Kevin Manning found the winners enclosure for the second time during the afternoon when 3/1 shot Alserna kept on well inside the final furlong to shrug off market leader Nashwan Rose by a length-and-a-half.
'She will probably stay a mile-and-a-half and we'll see how the handicapper treats her,' said the winning trainer afterwards.
Curragh trainer Sheena Collins, daughter of veteran handler Con, saddled her first winner of the season and the second juvenile winner of her career when Ryan's Academy sprang a surprise in the opening 5f maiden.
Sent off at 25/1, the son of Ali Royal, a first venture into ownership for brothers Gerry and Paul Carty, responded gamely to Pat Shanahan's urgings to defeat market principals Petite Histoire and Ontario.
Recent Downpatrick scorer Danaeve, benefited from a typically confident Paul Carberry ride to win the Rated Chase for Gerry Keane in a race where Punchestown banks specialist Risk Of Thunder warmed up for the big NH Festival later this month by finishing a long way back in fifth.
Easiest winner of the eight-race session came compliments of the Willie Mullins-trained newcomer Clounties Hill in the concluding bumper when the 7/4 favourite powered home in the hands of James Nash.
