McDonogh shines

Declan McDonogh took the riding honours in front of a large crowd on the opening session of the four-day Tramore festival meeting last night when completing a 230 to 1 double on Russian Comrade and Amellia.

The talented Meath claimer swooped late on Russian Comrade, trained under permit by William Fitzpatrick on the Curragh, in the Smithwicks Handicap to touch off Mission Hills by a neck.

McDonogh also conjured a telling late surge from Amellia to cause a shock in the Grand Hotel Maiden. The daughter of Second Set collared Brownsfield close home to put her rider on the 14 winner mark for the season.

Robbie Walsh recorded his biggest win to date when Bob What gained a hard-earned head victory over Saintly Thoughts in the featured Noel Griffin Memorial QR Handicap. The Tipperary amateur had his claim reduced to 3lb after this success and trainer Paddy Mullins nominated the Guinness Gold Cup at Tralee as a likely target.

Philip Carberry partnered his first winner over fences when the locally-trained Ratoath Gale got the better of Martys Step on the run-in to take the O'Shea's Hotel Handicap Chase. "Philip is the third Carberry to ride a winner for me. Tommy rode Cock Cockburn to win a veterans race at Limerick Junction, while Paul has had a number of winners for me," said trainer John Queally, who will keep the Strong Gale mare on the go while the ground is good.

Jockey Neil Callan yesterday lost his appeal against a three-day ban he incurred at Ascot on Sunday. Callan, who has already ridden 36 winners this year, found himself in trouble over his riding of Pas de Memoires for his boss Karl Burke in the Sunday Millennium Mile Handicap (Qualifier).

They upheld the decision of the stewards at Ascot and invoked a further six days that had been deferred at a previous hearing under the "totting-up" procedure giving the 21-year-old jockey a total of nine days (August 17th-25th) on the sidelines.

Raceform, the publishers of the official form book, has been bought by the Mirror Group plc, the publishers of the Racing Post, it was confirmed yesterday. However, Raceform will continue to operate its present titles form its present base in Compton, Berkshire, including its weekly newspaper Raceform on Saturday.