McAuley completes some tidy business with Dundalk double

Dundalk's most prolific owner/trainer James McAuley completed a first-and-last races double at the course today, landing the concluding Racing Thursday March 16th Handicap with his freshly claimed Tawaazon

Bought for €15,000 just last Friday having finished sixth in a course Claimer, the five year old today collected €6,600 for a defeat of runner-up Collective Power

Colin Keane won today's opener on McAuley's Pub Talk but the champion jockey later received good humoured ribbing following his front-running ride on Tawaazon.

McAuley said "it wasn't even the intention to be so handy and I had my script ready for Colin when he came in, saying 'the apprentices can hold him and there you are getting run away with!'

“We are on a run at present as we claimed Inflection Point last week and he won on his next start and we have had our eye on this lad for a while before claiming him last week. He beat one of mine and was also second to Tai Sing Yeh and is a grand horse.

“Today was similar to Inflection Point's win last week as we only have him and he has only hacked away at home so we haven't done a whole lot with him.

"It is great to get the double and while Pub Talk was claimed, we ran 12 horses today and ten picked up money. We will have plenty up here next Thursday - the staff are moaning about Cheltenham but sure they nearly live here!"

Quotes from Michael Graham