Keane double closes gap in race for Flat title

Meath jockey Colin Keane closed the gap on Donnacha O'Brien in the race for the 2019 Flat title with a double at Dundalk last night.

Trainer Ger Lyons, who had a treble at the Dundlak track, supplied the ammunition for Keane's double with  Long Arm and the aptly-named Leadership Race.

Keane won the title in 2017 with 100 winners, but O'Brien is surrently on 101 for the season with the Meath man three adrift on 98 ahead of today's action.

Keane has 12 rides between Leopardstown today and Naas tomorrow while O'Brien is in action at Ascot today, but will be back for Naas tomorrow as the race for the flat title features the defending champion (O'Brien) and 2017 champion (Keane).

At Dundalk last night Ger Lyons also won the opening apprentice claimer with Major Reward with John Shinnick getting his third winner  and reducing his claim to seven.

The Lyons winner was claimed by James McAuley and James Gough for the claiming price of €20,000

Dunshaughlin trainer Eddie Lynam added to the Meath theme at Dundalk last night when he had two winners and that enabled top apprentice Oisin Orr to move on to 39 winners, one behind Andrew Slattery in the race for champion apprentice.

Lynam won the last with Benedict Roezl and was also on the mark with Masalai which only got into a seven-furlong race as a reserve.