Crawford stays close to home and Kilwaughter does the business

The Crawford brothers introduced a nice prospect at Down Royal with Kilwaughter (12/1) accounting for the market leaders in the Metcollect Metal Recycling (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race.

In the hands of Stephen Connor the Milan youngster soon took up a mid-field sit and made his ground from over three furlongs out.

Ridden to lead over 100 yards out Kilwaughter ultimately kept on well to fend off 6/5 favourite Theflyingking (showed his inexperience) by three parts of a length.

They left third placer Strong Link fourteen lengths back.

Stuart Crawford divulged at the number one spot: "I really, really fancied this horse. He was to go to Punchestown for the Land Rover Bumper or the Defender Bumper and got a wee bit of a knock a couple of days before it. We were debating about running him and then we put it off to come here in May, and we had a few others to run that day. We ended up throwing him to the grass.

"He will probably go on any sort of ground. That would definitely be as good a ground as I would want. I think he would handle soft ground equally as well.

"I actually had an engagement for him at Dromahane point-to-point as well, so he could have gone there. This is on our doorstep rather than six hours down the road.

"He's obviously in my own colours - whether he will stay that way or not, I don't know. He'll be for sale, but I'd love to be holding on to him.

"You'd be hoping he would be the sort of horse, if he progressed in the spring, for one of the good bumpers.

"There was good form down through that bumper. He was sixth or seventh in the market and I made no bones about how much I liked him.

"He couldn't have done it any better in the end and Stephen gave him a good ride."

(MG & EM)