Wexford Town (outside) gets up to win the Ulster Derby under Kevin Manning, beating Magnolia Beach (centre) and Azurite© Photo Healy Racing
< Wexford Town put up an extraordinary performance to win the feature Magners Ulster Derby at Down Royal.
Jim Bolger's colt, a full-brother to Irish Derby hero Trading Leather, missed the break and was some way adrift through the early stages of the valuable contest, and he attacked from a very wide position on the home bend.< Azurite led into the final furlong, but Wexford Town (7-1) and another late charger Magnolia Beach swooped past in the shadow of the post and there was just a head in it at the line, with Kevin Manning's mount getting the verdict.
Dermot Weld took the EBF Coolmore Stud Ulster Oaks with Vintage Nouveau who was coming off a five-length Clonmel victory and went off the 11-8 favourite in the hands of Pat Smullen.
The Moyglare Stud-owned three-year-old challenged the leader Dragon Fei off the final bend and took charge a furlong out, running on strongly to pass the post two lengths clear of Snow Scene who snatched second.
With two non-runners only three went to post for the Value Cabs Rated Race and it was Lee Smyth's outsider Norville (7-2) who prevailed, with Smullen again in the plate, seeing off favourite Relentless Pursuit and then holding Strait Of Zanzibar by a length and three-quarters.
It was the same scenario in the Rainbow Communications Auction Maiden, with two absentees leaving three to run, and Ger Lyons' grey The Ice Meister (1-5 favourite) led all the way for a very easy seven-length victory under Colin Keane. The trainer and jockey doubled up with Snowmane (11-4) in the Albany Handicap
Harry Rogers' Calm Bay (9-2) had been plunging down the weights before winning at Navan a week ago, and he easily defied an 11lb rise when clearing away from the furlong pole under Robbie Downey to take the Louis Roederer Handicap by four and three-quarter lengths.
The David Wachman-trained Resiliency (6-4 favourite) put a poor run at Navan last month well behind him as he forged clear in the final furlong to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden by half a length under Billy Lee.
