'I've had a brilliant year' - Wayne Hassett bounces back from lengthy ban to get among the winners again

Apprentice Wayne Hassett has bounced back strongly from receiving 20 days in bans for careless riding at Galway and the Curragh at the end of last month, and followed a double on Sunday by coming from last to first to land the 6f nursery on the Natalia Lupini-trained Clonmacash.

Hassett, who has five rides at Friday's meeting at Dundalk but will then be sidelined until the track's fixture on February 16, said: "I've had a brilliant year. There are loads of people to thank, they know who they are, but in particular my agent Kevin O'Ryan and Joseph O'Brien. They have really done brilliantly for me throughout the year."

Clonmacash was scoring for the first time at the eighth attempt, and Hassett said: "He was just found out over five furlongs last time and the extra furlong helped. He was a bit keen when they slowed up, but coming up the stands' rail did him the world of good."

El Bello edges it

The almost white El Bello is becoming one of the standing dishes in the early part of the winter, and gained his second last-gasp success in the space of a week when landing the 7f handicap under Dan King.

Trained by Philip Byrne while Denis Hogan is serving a suspension, the four-year-old got to the front well inside the last furlong to score by a head and a nose from James Henry and Gobi Star. As long as he keeps winning by such narrow margins the handicapper cannot punish him excessively, although this looks to be his last run in 47-65 company for a while.

King said: "He was tough all the way to the line. Two horses came alongside him and he battled well. You'd like to think he could get an extra furlong." 

Rebels on top 

It was a good day for Cork stables as the county's trainers bagged two winners to make the long journey home that bit shorter.

The John Murphy-trained topweight Sea Chariot, who had been gelded since his last run, claimed the mile handicap for three-year-olds. The son of Gregorian picked up nicely inside the final furlong for Shane Foley to score by three-quarters of a length.

Terence O'Brien, who landed the first division of the 1m2½f handicap with the Adam Caffrey-ridden Bright N Shine, was the other Cork trainer to hit the target.

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