Donagh O'Connor forges two clear in winter series championship after double

Wednesday: Dundalk

The road north has proved profitable for Donagh O'Connor this winter as the rider booted home another course double to elevate himself to the 11-winner mark in the winter series championship.

O'Connor left Dundalk two winners clear of his closest pursuer Chris Hayes after partnering David Marnane's Jered Maddox to victory in the 6f handicap before following up an hour later in the 1m4f maiden aboard Seattle Creek for trainer Luke Comer.

Jered Maddox and Donagh O'Connor win the 6f handicapCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Jered Maddox, a standing dish at Dundalk, quickened best to win a typically competitive 0-65 sprint, with O'Connor charting a path to glory down the stands' rail.

He said: "Once he got a bit of light up the straight he quickened up well and put the race to bed very easy.

"He's a funny little horse because sometimes when he travels too well he has too much time to think about it. That trip suits him perfectly when they go good and hard, you see him to best effect."

A similar path was trodden to victory in the maiden with Seattle Creek, who having ironically been beaten at 8-15 at the track earlier this season, gave short-priced favourite-backers a headache once again in beating the 8-13 jolly Elzaamsan here.

Jim Gorman, assistant trainer to Comer, said: "He's a half-brother to Raa Atoll who wasn't a real horse until he was four. Raa Atoll won a Group 2 for us in Germany.

"I think this fella is the same, and the longer the year goes on, the stronger he'll be. He was a weak horse and I think this will be his year. He'll stay two miles."

Redemption for Alhaajeb

There is nothing like a good tale of redemption, and Alhaajeb earned himself something of a reprieve by putting in an overdue shift to win the first division of the 1m2½f handicap.

After showing promise earlier this winter, Alhaajeb had put a couple of disappointing efforts together, but McGuinness breathed a huge sigh of relief (for everyone's sake) that the horse hung on here under Ronan Whelan from a fast-finishing No Show.

"I won't tell you what I called him the last night he ran up here," McGuinness joked.

"Ronan was just class on him. He gave him a serious ride, took his time and codded him along, and had to throw the kitchen sink at him to keep him going.

"He's been a tricky horse to train, but he's slipped down to a mark which he can win off. He's been a little bit disappointing but, when you win, everything else is forgotten."

He added: "It's great for Eddie [Battersby] who is a long-standing owner of mine. We'll probably mix and match over the summer with him. He could be an ideal horse to jump a hurdle during the summer."

McGuinness and Whelan doubled up in the last when Skontonovski swooped to take the 1m handicap.

Results, replays and analysis

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