Review dundalk 23rd Dec

< Elusive Ridge won for the third consecutive week on the Dundalk all-weather surface as he landed the Crowne Plaza Hotel Dundalk Race with the minimum of fuss.

Sent straight to the head of affairs by Pat Smullen, the five-year-old (8-15 favourite) led his three rivals throughout the mile contest and showed no sign of stopping in the straight.< Jamesie looked likeliest to throw down a challenge, but he could never get near enough to threaten and Elusive Ridge, trained locally by Harry Rogers, ran on strongly to score by two and a quarter lengths.

Michael Hussey had to be patient in looking for a gap on Captain Joy in the Johnny Murtagh - Ireland & Dundalk's Champion Jockey 2011 Maiden and when it finally came, he made the most of it.

The Tracey Collins-trained youngster (5-1) was hard driven to put in a late challenge and grabbed Harry Trotter close home to win by a neck.< Aquilonius had run respectably in two handicaps at the track and certainly wasn't winning out of turn in the Crowne Plaza Hotel Leading Jockey & Trainer Awards 2011 Nursery.

Kevin Manning was always handy on Jim Bolger's 3-1 shot and struck for home in the straight, comfortably repelling the challenge of favourite Beat The Ballot by three and a half lengths.

Manning was soon back in the winner's enclosure when Gaiety Theatre (11-10 favourite) gradually got the upper hand to take the Happy Christmas To All Our Patrons Maiden by three-quarters of a length for James Ryan.

David Nagle's Elwazeer had shown nothing in three starts going into the first division of the dundalkstadium.com Handicap, but there was money for him on the step up to a mile and the 7-1 shot scooted in by four and a half lengths under Wayne Lordan.

Michael Hussey completed a double in the second division on Noel Lawlor's 7-1 chance Lift The Gloom