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Review down royal 23rd Jun

Sat 23rd Jun 2012, 18:10

< Alhellal crowned his recent switch to Flat racing with an emphatic victory in the valuable Magners Ulster Derby at Down Royal.

The Maurice Phelan-trained six-year-old, winner of a bumper and a maiden hurdle before twice scoring on the Dundalk all-weather, took the lead at the top of the straight in the hands of Declan McDonogh and made the best of his way home.< Rattan emerged as the biggest threat and Willie Mullins' charge put in a sustained challenge, but Alhellal (7-1) was always doing enough and scored by a length and a quarter, with joint favourite Royal Diamond in third.

Having landed the 'Derby', McDonogh completed a big-race double when the Gavin Cromwell-trained Balrath Hope took the EBF Coolmore Stud Ulster Oaks Fillies Handicap.

The three-year-old (8-1), a Navan winner earlier this month, was sent on from the start and found plenty when required on the run for home to beat the favourite Livia Galilei by two and a half lengths.

Marcus Callaghan's veteran Patrickswell went into the Citybeat Handicap having won the race for the past two seasons and he made it a hat-trick with a game front-running performance under Leigh Roche.

The grey was 12-1 after a string of disappointing shows, but quickly occupied the rails slot and had enough in the tank to repel Battleroftheboyne by half a length after the favourite struggled for room when attempting to mount his challenge.< Smoker (100-30), a son of Motivator from the Patrick Prendergast yard, relished the seven-furlong trip of the Rainbow Communications EBF Median Auction Maiden and led early in the straight under Colm O'Donoghue to win by four and a quarter lengths.

George Kent's 11-10 favourite Custom Cut led all the way under Danny Grant in the Value Cabs Rated Race, and another to be in front from the start was the Lester Winters-trained Jeremy's Girl (14-1), who landed the Louis Roederer Handicap under Ian Brennan.