Title chasing Johnny Murtagh saw rivals Michael Kinane and Pat Smullen reduce his advantage in the jockeys championship when they both rode winners at Limerick yesterday.
France, which has run twice for Aidan OBrien in England in recent weeks, gave Kinane a winner on his only ride at the meeting when landing the European Breeders Fund Maiden.
A first runner at the course for O'Brien, the Desert Prince colt improved to tackle the gambled-on Arawan at the furlong pole and readily accounted for the odds-on favourite by a length.
Murtagh has done little wrong in recent weeks but on the back of a two-day suspension earned at the Curragh on Sunday, his misfortune continued when he had to settle for second place again in the UL Students Raceday February.
This time, his mount Fearn Royal failed by a head to catch the Michael Grassick-trained favourite Sweet Deimos, ridden by Niall McCullagh.
'She had training problems in the Spring but she seems to be back to herself now. She is Group placed and will now go for a Listed event in Germany', said Grassick.
Pat Smullen, the forgotten man of this years title race, moved onto the 60 winner mark with success on Mobasher in the Ladbroke Ireland Handicap.
The top-weight, trained by Dermot Weld, looked in trouble running down to the straight but picked up well to head both Twilight Breeze and the Murtagh-ridden even money favourite White Queen inside the final furlong.
With Murtagh on 68 winners and Kinane on 67, Smullen closed the gap even further when landing a narrow success on the well bred Savieres in the EBF Fillies Maiden.
She was all out to hold off the late surge of favourite Love Token by a head and denied Niall McCullagh a double of his own.
Compostello, sent off a long odds-on favourite, gave his supporters fright or two before narrowly winning the McInerney Construction Novice Hurdle.
The 1/3 favourite had to dig deep to hold off the persistent challenge of Rashay, who was not helped by an untidy jump at the second last flight, by a neck.
Noel Meade, the winning trainer, said, 'Ideally, he wants two and a half miles and a fast run race. We will find another novice hurdle for him somewhere now.'
Meade and Carberry had to settle for second place with odds-on favourite Gli Gli who found Wotsitooya too strong in the Radisson SAS Limerick Novice Hurdle.
