Cork teenager Davy Condon continued his recent rich vein of form at Roscommon yesterday when he notched up his 20th career success aboard Portlant Fella in the first division of the Tonlagee Maiden over seven furlongs.
Condon, who 24 hours earlier teamed up with Aljay to score for Harry Rogers at the venue, oozed confidence aboard the Joanna Morgan-trained gelding before landing the spoils from Markino and Sassania with well supported market leader Clovis Site, a disappointing fifth.
'He wants fast ground - that's the bottom line with him,' said the winning handler, who trains the three-year-old for the ten member Portant Fellas Syndicate headed by legendary punting priest Father Sean Breen.
Pat Smullen was otherwise busy riding in Longchamp for his boss Dermot Weld but Pat Shanahan deputised successfully on only reserve Rowan Flower when the easy-to-back 4/1 chance held the frustrating Colourfast by the minimum margin in the second division.
Smullen teamed up with the filly Nashwan Rose in the Listed Prix de Liancourt over ten furlongs at the Paris track only to finish tenth.
Shanahan was back in the winners enclosure later when he completed a 39/1 brace on Tim Doyle's Euro Friendly in the second division while earlier Pat Martin's Lee's Lodge and Timmy Houlihan came out on top in the first division.
This race was delayed for twelve minutes awaiting the arrival back of the second ambulance after leading bookmaker Luke McMahon was earlier taken to the local hospital suffering from chest pains.
John Oxx and Fran Berry, out of luck in the opener with Clovis Site, got it right in the Gerry & Pat Rogers Memorial Handicap over twelve furlongs when Ebaraya battled back gamely to pip outsider Ali Shuffle, who unshipped rider Donal Manning moments after filling the runner-up berth.
Former champion apprentice Manning was taken to hospital with slight concussion after the tumble and was later stood down for 21 days.
Frances Crowley is another trainer with her string firing on all cylinders in recent weeks and the Piltown handler finished the session on a bright note when Octagonal scored in the hands of Paul Carberry in the finale.
