Donoghue on the double as his ‘Diva’ waltzes home at Down Royal

It was a day of ‘doubles’ at Down Royal where Meath trainer Ian Donoghue sent out two winners for the first time in his career yesterday when Tankardstown Diva (7/1) cruised home to land the staying handicap hurdle over two miles, six furlongs.

Ridden by the trainer’s brother Keith, the grey mare had been touched off at this track on her previous start.

Having been held up in mid-division, she came through to lead after the second last and soon had matters under control. The winning rider was able to ease down on the run-in and the daughter of Jukebox Jury was value for a good deal more than the winning margin of a length and a quarter over long-time leader Plain Or Battered.

The winning trainer had earlier been successful with O’Faolains Glory (6/1) which was steered to victory by Carl Millar in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle.

The seven-year-old made all the running and comfortably saw off runner-up Jacenry by six lengths.

Millar later completed his own double by driving the Nigel Slevin-trained Politicise (10/1) to a head success from Don’t Talk in the handicap chase over two miles, four furlongs.

On a day of doubles at the track, jockey Simon Torrens was another to come away with a brace when the Philip Rothwell-trained Weihnachts (22/1) bounced back to form in the Switch Today At fibrus.com Handicap Chase.

The JP McManus-owned 10-yearold improved on the approach to the straight and led before the last to beat Marronstown by three and three-quarter lengths.

Torrens’s first winner of the day had been aboard the John McConnell-trained Dreal Deal (7/1) which saw off market leader Duffle Coat (5/4) by five and a half lengths.

Meanwhile, Jonbon could defend his Celebration Chase title or head to the Punchestown Festival before the season ends, after forming one half of a Grade One double for Nicky Henderson at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The JP McManus-owned eight-yearold was one of a number of big names from Seven Barrows to miss the Cheltenham Festival, with Henderson effectively shutting down operations as a poor run of form hit his Lambourn-based string. However, he proved his class alongside hot juvenile prospect Sir Gino, as the Henderson team bounced back to form on Merseyside, their time in the doldrums proving short-lived. The Joe and Marie Donnelly-owned Sir Gino is finished for the season after claiming the Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, but there could be further business for Jonbon to take care of, either at Sandown on the final day of the season or on a raiding mission to Ireland. “Sir Gino, that will be him done, but there is every chance Jonbon could go again and we will have a look at the Celebration Chase or Punchestown,” said Henderson. “If you wait for Punchestown, you get an extra four days, which might be a help, but I think both of mine, because they hadn’t been to Cheltenham, they probably had a bit of an advantage here. “There is room to go again with Jonbon and we will see who is going where and what. He did it last year in his novice chase season – he went to Sandown for the Celebration and has done the double act before.”