Flood continues his good strike rate

Course specialist Francis Flood landed a double at Down Royal yesterday when Sully Shuffles won the Beechlawn Motors Handicap…

Course specialist Francis Flood landed a double at Down Royal yesterday when Sully Shuffles won the Beechlawn Motors Handicap Hurdle and then Unforgotten Star got the better of Monty's Pass to win the Gilbey's Handicap Chase.

Ridden by his son, Francis, Unforgotten Star appeared to be beaten when he made a bad jump at the last fence and allowed the 11 to 10 favourite, Monty's Pass, to grab the initiative. But Flood conjured up another run from Unforgotten Star and as the two horses battled to the post, it was Unforgotten Star who got up by a length.

Sully Shuffles stayed on well to beat Cryptic Pattern in the hurdle and in doing so gave jockey Mark Madden his 10th winner of the season. Sully Shuffles hit the last hurdle and looked like losing his momentum, but he quickly regained it and ran out a good winner.