O'Brien Sings Dundalk's Praises

The new track and facilities at Dundalk got a resounding thumbs-up from Aidan O'Brien following the first meeting to be held on an all-weather surface in Ireland.

The Ballydoyle maestro might have been out of luck with his two runners, but he was nevertheless as impressed as everyone else with what he had seen of the new-look venue.

'It's an absolute credit to everybody, I think it will serve Irish racing well for a very long time and I'll look forward to coming here,' said O'Brien.

'The track is unbelievable. It's a fine, big, galloping track and the surface is very consistent. The facilities are great, too.

'It's a place we will use to prepare horses for America. It's a surface that will bring the whole world together and we are going to get a lot of consistency which is going to be great,' he told At The Races.

Emmpat has to be one of the most versatile horses in training at the moment and he pulled off a thrilling victory in the feature race.

Sent off a 12-1 chance for the MCR Group European Breeders Fund August Handicap, the Charlie Swan-trained nine-year-old benefited from a strong Billy Lee drive to get up by a head from All The Good in the 75,000 euro contest.

Winner of the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr in April, Emmpat was bouncing back to form after being pulled up on testing ground at Tipperary and Galway.

Swan said: 'He's been a great servant to the stable. He just wants good ground. This race was always on our mind and he certainly won't run again on soft ground.

'He will possibly run in Dubai over the winter.'

Ado McGuinness can certainly land the big prizes when he is given the ammunition as his exploits with Victram have shown over the last two seasons, and he looks to have another money-spinner on his hands.

Rainbow Rising, formerly with Howard Johnson in Britain, has only had three starts for his new trainer but he has won twice and been second once.

And with nearly 40,000 euro having gone his way following the six-furlong MCR Environmental Mourne Handicap, McGuinness might just have found his new stable star.

Ridden by Pat Smullen, the 11-2 joint-favourite arrived very late on the scene to deny Lyons' second string Benwilt Breeze by a short-head, with Kieren Fallon on Senor Benny not far away in third.

'He goes on any surface,' said McGuinness. 'He worked here after the trials day, when he went brilliant, and again back here last Tuesday.

'I was a bit worried about the trip, but he got it fine. I'll see what the handicapper does now and we'll probably go for a handicap the same day as the Goffs Million at the Curragh.'

Benwilt Breeze's trainer Ger Lyons had earlier been on the mark when Leandros (5-2) won the MCR Personnel EBF Maiden, completing a double for Johnny Murtagh, who had written his name in the history books as the rider of the first winner at the track, the Michael Halford-trained Ms Victoria (14-1) in the MCR Steelworks Race.

Murtagh said: 'We have the best horses in the world, the best trainers and some great jockeys. This is just going to add to it ? in a couple of years we will be thinking how did we do without it. There's real good feel to the place.'

(C) PA Sport