< Paene Magnus booked his ticket for the all-weather championship finals at Lingfield Park on Good Friday with a battling success in the mile fast-track qualifier at Dundalk.

Twice the winner of a Listed contest at the track, the six-year-old was settled in second by Kevin Manning as Grey Danube led the way in the Carragher's XL Castleblayney Race, and he needed a bit of time to grab the advantage when it got serious.

Jim Bolger's charge (6-1) took over just inside the final furlong and ran on strongly to hold on by half a length from the odds-on Captain Joy who had already qualified for finals day having won a fast-track event of his own at Lingfield last time.

There was a surprise result in the second of the qualifiers for the showcase Lingfield meeting when Shalaman took the www.valuecentre.ie Race.

The Matthew Smith-trained 10-1 shot was produced from the rear by Chris Hayes and having found a turn of foot to hit the front inside the final furlong, he had enough in the locker to hold Paene Magnus's odds-on stablemate Parish Hall by a head.

Donnacha O'Brien initiated a double on James Nash's Shinyhappyjohn (11-1), who wore first-time blinkers as he landed his first victory at the 17th attempt, bolting up by four and a quarter lengths in the Your Local Value Centre Handicap after leading at the two pole.

The jockey was riding his father Aidan's 7-4 favourite Song Of Love in the XL Handicap and hit the front a furlong out before forging clear to score by a length and a quarter.

Another member of the O'Brien clan, Ana, made it a double for Ballydoyle when she slipped 5-2 favourite Bishan Bedi through on the rail a furlong and a half out and quickly asserted to take the Muldoon XL Drumconrath Handicap by a length and a quarter.< Maira coasted up to the lead in the BWG Foods Maiden, but Pat Smullen kept Petit Adagio (5-1) going to hold her off by a neck, and the jockey doubled up on Beat The Ballot (7-2 favourite) in a division of the Coast Tavern Laytown Handicap.