Wales & The West increased its lead over London & The South at Newcastle, on an evening where Ireland reeled off four winners in a row.
With a week until the final meeting at Southwell, Jamie Osborne’s side heads the leaderboard with 689.5 points. London & The South remains in second with 648 points, with The East third on 626.
Wales & The West had to wait until the £75,000 finale to get on the scoresheet, with the unexposed Ten Pounds making a mockery of an opening handicap mark of 90 for Harry Charlton and Trevor Whelan.
Whelan said: “Ten Pounds was very professional. He is a smooth traveller and I was keen to get a lead on him for as long as possible. He has taken a step forward with each run, having been backward last year. He put the race to bed really well there.”
In-form trainer Richard Hughes was responsible for two of Ireland’s winners, courtesy of Road To Wembley in the extended two-mile handicap and G1 Derby eleventh Kamboo in the extended 12-furlong handicap.
Co Tipperary handler Andrew Slattery pulled off a successful raid with Cloud Seeker, who completed a three-timer in the 10-furlong handicap, while Road To Wembley’s jockey Finley Marsh doubled up on Bright for Mark Loughnane in the five-furlong handicap.
Ireland’s team manager Kevin Blake said: “You could not write it really. In the first four weeks, we only had two winners, so to have four back-to-back – I genuinely cannot believe it and you really appreciate nights like this.
“We have been made to wait for it, as our luck has deserted us at a couple of the other meetings, but that sums up this competition. The last place I would have expected us to do really well is here because this is the most competitive meeting of the whole lot. You have Scotland, The North and Yorkshire all with full teams, with runners being lined up for this for a long time. Our trainers have continued to support us and we have had the drop of the ball. That is all you can ever hope for.
“The odds on our four-timer would have been off the scale. Racing League is set up to be really competitive and this sort of thing should not happen, but we have seen earlier in the competition with The East that results can come in clusters. You need the trainers, owners, and jockeys to be with you, and you love to see them win.”
It was a poignant success for Cloud Seeker. Assistant trainer Brian Slattery said: “His owner Pat [Garvey] lives in Yorkshire but is not here today as he lost his brother during the week. We are thinking of the Garvey family, and this one is for them. Cloud Seeker is an improving horse. The favourite [Fox Legacy] being pulled out at the start was a help, but we fancied our fella. We brought him over because there is a shortage of races over this distance at home, plus the prize money is good.”
Elsewhere on the card, The East remained in the mix thanks to Heathcliff scoring in the six-furlong handicap. The three-year-old has now won three of his last four starts for trainer James Fanshawe.
The victory puts Daniel Muscutt in the reckoning for Racing League leading jockey honours. Muscutt sits 12 points adrift of leader Saffie Osborne (240 points), with Billy Loughnane in third place on 217 having missed tonight’s meeting.
Muscutt said: “Heathcliff has really developed. The family do get better with age and the boss [James Fanshawe] knows the family inside out. He got away with coming back to six furlongs today on a stiff track. At times, my foot was firmly to the floor, but his stamina kicked in in the last half furlong.”
There was also a winner on home soil for The North, with Tolstoy charging home nearest the stands’ rail to claim the mile handicap for Brian Ellison and Ben Robinson.
Team manager Mick Quinn said: “Howay the lads! A great result for Brian Ellison and the team. They should have had a double as Northern Sprit was only beaten a neck earlier. Tolstoy is a horse on the up. Brian has improved him and, once Ben [Robinson] pulled him out, I thought he was always going to win. It is nice to have a winner on our home patch.”
For full race results, league tables and lots more see the brilliant Racing League microsite from our partners AtTheRaces