Topadee comes home clear at Laytown© Photo Healy Racing
Pat Flynn and Danny Grant were the stars on the beach at Laytown when notching a double, starting with Topadee s win in the Balmarino Handicap.
Flynn's heavily-backed 4-1 chance had been in fine form of late and quickly opened up a lead after hitting the front two furlongs out.< Toufan Express gave chase, but Grant got Topadee home by two and a quarter lengths at the line.
The double was secured when 8-1 chance Jeangeorges bounced back to form in the Neptune Claiming Race, beating Romeo's On Fire by four and a quarter lengths.< Parramatta may not have been an obvious choice for the seven furlong Gilna's Cottage Inn Maiden at Laytown on form, but punters knew better as she swept through to score.
A veteran of four bumpers and two staying maidens on the Flat, the 2-1 favourite was pushed along in midfield by Shane Foley with three furlongs to run.
Responding admirably on this huge drop in trip, Jessica Harrington's charge ran on well to beat Captain May by two and a half lengths.< Six Silver Lane (9-2) gave Patrick Mullins a clean sweep of Irish racecourses when edging out a good battle with Core Element in thetote.com New Website (QR) Handicap.
Mullins had revealed that Laytown was the only track in Ireland he hadn't tasted success before, but his mount just held on from Core Element to score by a nose and give him a full house of winners.
Paul Townend timed it just right on Mt Weather (10-1) in the O'Neills Sports Handicap, getting up in the final strides to deny Under Review by half a length.
Proceedings on the beach were signed off for another year when Pauline Ryan guided the Ken Condon-trained Dream Applause (7-2) to victory over Usa in the Hibernia Steel (QR) Race.
