Hanlon continues hot streak with Thurles double Shark Hanlon and Rachael Blackmore teamed up for a quickfire double as Whatsinthecorner added to a Downpatrick win earlier this year in the Thurles Handicap Chase. The well-backed 5/2 favourite quickly followed on the heels of the opening race success of Mighty Stowaway, and completed a tremendous 48 hours for the Bagnelstown trainer who has sent out six winners and a second from just eight runners between point-to-points and under rules. Blackmore, now on the 53 winner mark for the season and just three behind championship leader Paul Townend, made steady headway on the six-year-old gelding to head the front-running Seskin Flyer at the last. Whatsinthecorner stayed on well on the run-in to beat that rival by three lengths, with Bellgrove also keeping on nicely in the closing stages a further length and a half adrift in third. Hanlon said, "Rachael gave him some ride again and he deserved that as he has been consistent the whole time. He'll stay chasing but is a good hurdler and should pick up one of those too. "I think my horses have been 100% right the whole year. I'd love to have more horses and we're down in numbers and have only 12 or 14 for the track. The rest of them are point to pointers and I've five going to the sales at Cheltenham on Friday." (TW & AM)
