Big race double by Wexford pair RACING BY PEGASUS

PAT McDONALD on the flat and Tom O’Brien over jumps both won major televised listed races on Saturday with a combined value of more than £100,000 to keep up the remarkable recent strike rate of the small Wexford contingent in Britain.

Taghmon native McDonald struck in the £40,000 fillies’ stakes at Doncaster on Star Rock (5/1) for Hughie Morrison, from Hugo Palmer’s Vintage Folly (2/1f).

Earlier in the week, McDonald had had kept up his run of good-priced winners - on Tuesday at Wolverhampton on Towelrads Boy (15/2) for Paul Cole; at Chelmsford on Thursday on Plutonian (12/1) when he got up by a head for Charlie Hills, and at Newcastle on Friday on Tifl (11/1) for Mrs. Main by a neck.

New Ross veteran Jimmy Quinn kept the Wexford flag flying at Nottingham on Wednesday when scoring on his only ride aboard Regular Income (6/1) for Adam West.

Over the jumps, Tom O’Brien, son of Jim and nephew of Aidan, was on target with London Prize (4/1) for Ian Williams in the £60,000 Unibet Elite Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday with a nicely-judged ride, beating Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville on Lough Derg Spirit (5/2f).

Daryl Jacob went to Exeter for two rides on Tuesday and made it pay with This Is It (5/1) for Nick Mitchell for a syndicate that includes high profile soccer manager, Harry Redknapp. He had two spins at Warwick on Friday and won easily with We Have a Dream (4/5f) for Nicky Henderson.

Jacob made a rare enough home appearance at Navan on Sunday in a beginners’ chase for his retained owner, Simon Munir, on the Willie Mullins-trained Footpad (4/6); this was the chasing debut for the Champion Hurdle fourth and he strolled to victory by eleven lengths.

Jonathan Moore was at Ffos Las on Sunday for three rides for Rebecca Curtis, and his best was a well-beaten second on Joe Farrell (3/1) behind Solighoster (3/1) for Neil Mulholland.

Back in Ireland, at Thurles on Thursday, Mosie McCabe’s The King’s Baby (9/2) followed up her maiden hurdle win at Tramore a month ago by going in again in a mares’ handicap hurdle under a positive ride by Donie McInerney. He built up a lead and had enough in hand to hold on by a length from Lockeen Girl.

Paul Nolan’s Miss Sassie (11/2) was well back in third under Bryan Cooper.

McCabe said after: ‘she’s a little dinger for a small mare…she stays all day and is very genuine.’

Seán Flanagan won the Paddy Power novice handicap chase at Naas on Saturday on First to Boogie (4/1f) for Madeleine Tylicki, sister of British-based jockey Freddie, who is still recovering from serious injuries incurred in a fall on the flat earlier in the year.

Paul Nolan’s Fitzhenry (10/1) was back in third for J.P. McManus.

It is not often that a Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy horse goes off at 33/1, but Mossback stayed on well to beat Flanagan on Noel Meade’s Snow Falcon (4/1) in the beginners’ chase.

Flanagan was also second at Navan on Sunday with Meade’s Lex Talionis (9/2) behind Katie and Ted Walsh’s Oscars Den (4/1).

On the flat at Dundalk on Wednesday, Jim Bolger had an unusually long-priced winner with Teo’s Music scoring by half a length under Kevin Manning at 33/1.