Lavery gets good tune from Bell

Bertie Bell and The Storyteller fought out a terrific duel in the bumper at Downpatrick with the former just gaining the day at the line under Declan Lavery.

The pair battled it out from two furlongs out in the finale and Brian Hamilton's charge just got the verdict by a neck as they flashed past the post together.

It was a deserved victory for the Kalanisi gelding, an 11/4 shot, who had been runner-up in three bumpers last summer and was making his return to action tonight.

The Storyteller was sent off 2/1 joint favourite with Leopards Leap who made no impression in fourth.

Hamilton said: "He's been unlucky, he has run against a couple of those horses from Willie Mullins and Aidan O'Brien. They both went on and won dual bumpers. He'll go over hurdles now.

"In Ballinrobe he ran a blinder. He probably needs to go left handed. Right handed he got away with there tonight because he's just such a good horse but he'd be better going left handed somewhere like Killarney but you have the trouble to travel all the way down there!

"He'll run away through the summer"

Owner/breeder Alistair Thompson is from Dromore.

(Quotes by Michael Graham)