Gary Carroll and Ben Curtis remain locked together in the lead in the apprentices' title race after a winner apiece on the all-weather track at Dundalk.

On the 37 mark with four meetings to go, they are just two ahead of Joseph O'Brien, who got on the scoresheet with a double on his return from suspension and is far from ready to give up hope.

O'Brien got off to the perfect start when his father Aidan's Memphis Tennessee suggested there could be better to come with an eyecatching success in the first division of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.

Market rival Giants Serapis hit the front, but the 11-10 favourite arrived with a smooth challenge down the outside and won going away by a length and a half.

O'Brien completed his double when Eddie Harty's Mr Pianist (7-2) edged a head-bobber with Sparring Partner in the Christmas Party Packages At Dundalk Apprentice Handicap.

Carroll struck back when Paul Deegan's Youm Mutamiez (5-2) took the www.dundalkstadium.com Maiden, leading two furlongs out and going clear to score by two and a half lengths.

Curtis was the last of the three to win, driving the Pat Martin-trained Crystal Belle (12-1) into the lead a furlong and a half out to beat Final Recovery by a length in the [email protected] Nursery.

The other jockey to make his mark was Johnny Murtagh, who has work to do if he is to catch Pat Smullen in the main jockeys' title race but did his cause no harm with a double.

He led nearly all the way to win the second division of the juvenile maiden on the David Wachman-trained Imperial Rome (8-1), and followed up with a comfortable success on Mark Johnston's raider Herostatus (6-4 favourite) in the Crowne Plaza Leading Jockey & Trainer Championship Handicap.

Tom McCourt's Tornadodancer (20-1) was produced with a late charge by Colm O'Donoghue to edge out Quinmaster by a short head in the main event, the dundalkstadium.com Handicap.