Zankle's happy return

As expected Aidan O'Brien completed a short-priced treble at a rain-lashed Fairyhouse last night, but a greater and happier surprise was the sight of Zankle in the winners' enclosure after the Rathbeggan Handicap.

The six-year-old money-spinner sustained a stress fracture of his canon-bone in the 1998 McDonogh Handicap at Galway and his fate was in serious doubt before he began a six-month sentence of box rest.

A return for the Mark Weldtrained charge at last week's Galway festival proved abortive but yesterday he just got up to beat the favourite Countessmarkievicz by a head under an fine drive from Pat Smullen.

Smullen had earlier kept the pressure on the bookmakers when getting the well-backed favourite Goldstreet home in the Tattersalls Race to confirm Frances Crowley as the second most successful trainer of two-year-olds in the country this season with five wins.

Easily the most successful however is her brother-in-law O'Brien who added to his total with Brahms in the opener. For a 2 to 5 shot though this was no cakewalk as Jamieson provided a decent challenge to inside the final furlong.

Another 2 to 5 winner was Musketeer in the apprentice maiden but he made even harder work of it and had to get a forceful ride from Paul Scallan to hold off Marching Orders by a neck.

It was ninth win of the term for 20-year-old Scallan, and a 27th in all, but the stewards gave him a five-day whip ban for excessive frequency.

Ironically the 5 to 2 Chaparral Lady was possibly the easiest of the three winners, but she got an ultra-confident ride up the inner by PJ Colville to lead inside the final furlong and beat the front-running Frontliner by three and a half lengths.

Tifosi completed four in a row in the six-furlong handicap after making most under Wayne Smith. The favourite in this Remarkable Style finished second last but was found to be coughing afterwards.