Cork jockeys Brian Hayes, Paul Townend and Wayne Lordan land impressive wins

Cork jockeys Brian Hayes, Paul Townend and Wayne Lordan struck in the opening three races across the Evening Cards at Sligo and Leopardstown on Thursday evening. 

In Sligo, the opening two races went to Cork jockeys. Brian Hayes landed the opener on Mount Sinai and initiated a quickfire opening race double for trainer Willie Mullins. 

Lisgoold's Paul Townend made the long trek west worthwhile as he landed the second race at Sligo, the Martin Reilly Hyundai Mares Maiden Hurdle, on Forty Kay.

Wayne Lordan got off the mark at Leopardstown, making all the running on Montreal for a facile success in the opening race at the Foxrock venue.

Lordan and Aidan O'Brien enjoyed a lucrative Galway with their juveniles. They combined in the Leopardstown opener as Montreal turned the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden into a procession. 

He was surprisingly easy to back at 6/4 and bigger in the ring. The son of Sea The Stars was displaced as favourite by Res Ipsa who went off 5/4 market leader. 

Lordan ensured Montreal was quickly out of the stalls, after blowing the start on his debut here. He made practically all the running before kicking for touch as they swung for home. Montreal stretched right away and his winning margin of eight lengths didn't flatter him by any means.

Ballydoyle Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: "Wayne controlled it from the front setting a nice even tempo and kept gradually building it up."

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The winner could well make up into a Derby horse for next year. Bookmakers were suitably impressed. He was installed 14/1 favourite with Unibet for next year's Epsom Derby.

He’s likely to return here to Leopardstown for a third racecourse outing on Champions Weekend for the Champion Juvenile. 

Mount Sinai secured the Sligo opener under Rosscarberry jockey Brian Hayes to land the Westcare Home Care Claiming Hurdle for Willie Mullins. The daughter of Mount Nelson was a well-supported evens favourite and won by two and a half lengths. She was claimed afterwards by Shark Hanlon for €4,000.

Mullins combined with Townend to complete an opening race double as Forty Kay landed the Martin Reilly Hyundai Mares Maiden Hurdle. She'd disappointed on her debut in a bumper at Clonmel two months ago and had also badly underperformed on her hurdling debut. 

Despite Townend's presence, she was easy to back at 17/2 . Eye Of A Tiger was all the rage in the ring and went off a well-supported 4/7 favourite. 

As is often the case with the yards runners, the jolly set the fractions, until being headed two out. 

Townend had bided his time on Forty Kay but made his move turning in. She prospered when Whispering Hopes fluffed her lines at the last. 

Townend didn't look a gift horse in the mouth as the Mullins mare went onto win by three and a quarter lengths in the colours of the Blue Blood Racing Club