Cunningham lands national prize with Piano Star

WINNING a race at Kilbeggan can"t compare with successes at Cheltenham or Royal Ascot, but Michael Cunningham will have derived enormous satisfaction from sending out Piano Star to win the Westmeath track"s biggest prize on Friday evening. The veteran trainer was at the height of his powers in the early part of the 1980s when he saddled three Cheltenham Festival winners, including For Auction in the '82 Champion Hurdle, while on the flat he took the 1980 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh with Cairn Rouge. Kilbeggan on a Friday evening is a far cry from such occasions, but the success of the John Kelly-owned Piano Star in the Ladbrokes Midlands National at the highly attractive odds of 12/1 was significant in its own right. The Darshaan gelding, which had finished a long way behind Marseillais in a hurdle race at Limerick 12 days earlier, was partnered by Paddy Flood and scored by a length and a half from the Ruby Walsh-ridden Dow Jones. Winning connections had to sweat it out during a stewards" inquiry, but the result stood. 'We are delighted with that,' said Cunningham afterwards. 'I"ve only had him two or three months. We ran him in a few hurdle races to get him right for today. He fell at the last in this race last year. 'He is out of the handicap for the Galway Plate, so this should help him now. The plan was always for today and he needs the good ground.' Noel Meade gave favourite backers an ideal start to the meeting when he sent out Go Native (11/4) to win the two-mile maiden hurdle. Niall Madden"s mount won by seven lengths from Winterdown Star, ridden by Andrew Lynch. Cortown jockey Roger Loughran was seen to good effect in the second maiden hurdle on the card when he partnered the Dessie Hughes-trained Montero (12/1) to score by three lengths from Robbie Dunne"s mount Ahorsecalledmolly. Last week commenced on a very positive note for the Edward Lynam stable which had winners at both Killarney and Downpatrick on Monday. Sinsational (3/1), the mount of Shane Foley, provided a success on the opening day of the Killarney Summer Festival when scoring by a neck from stable companion and 8/11 favourite Icemancometh. Up north, Chris Hayes did the steering on Lynam"s Red Key (7/2) which romped home 12 lengths clear of Nevaeh Sky in a maiden. Steve Mahon won a handicap hurdle when five pound claimer Dunne partnered 12/1 chance San Giustino to score by three lengths from Erin"s Princess and Ger Keane was on the mark on the flat when Hayes triumphed on Four Corners (12/1) which had six lengths to spare from Dirtybirdie. One of the most significant performances of the Killarney meeting came on Wednesday when the Tony Martin-trained Green Mile (9/2) won the handicap hurdle over two miles, six furlongs in the hands of Robbie Colgan. The son of Montjeu overcame some less than fluent hurdling in the closing stages to score by three and a half lengths from I"m A Witness and must now be considered a serious contender for the Galway Plate when he reverts to the larger obstacles. Barry Geraghty enjoyed a riding success at Killarney the same evening when the Eric McNamara-trained Hot Port (8/1) won the opening beginners chase by three-quarters of a length from Rory"s Pleasure. Stamullen trainer Tom McCourt teamed up with highly talented claimer Paul Townend for a significant success at Killarney on Thursday when 10/1 chance Grantsville and the Ruby Walsh-ridden Cler couldn"t be separated at the end of the valuable handicap hurdle. A dead-heat was announced, before Grantsville was declared the winner following a stewards" inquiry. There was an all-flat card at Fairyhouse the same evening where Lynam sent out his third winner of the week when Hayes partnered 14/1 outsider Capall An Ibre to win a handicap by half a length from Harriers Call. Denise Foster trained the winner of the concluding chase at Tipperary"s mixed card on Saturday evening when Andrew Duff partnered 11/2 chance Super Gale to beat Noel Meade"s 1/2 favourite Dark Artist, the mount of Denis O"Regan. Johnny Murtagh had a riding success in the opening maiden when partnering the Michael Halford-trained 5/4 favourite Invincible Ash to a two and a half lengths victory over Babel. Gordon Elliott made a successful raid on Cartmel on Thursday when he won a two mile, six furlong handicap hurdle with 2/1 favourite Bauhaus. The winner was ridden by Tony McCoy and beat Michael"s Dream by three and a half lengths.