Stephen Craine celebrated his 40th birthday in winning style at the last meeting of the year at Sligo yesterday evening when landing the Ballymote Handicap aboard the Kevin Prendergast-trained Toordillon.

Craine needed all of his skills to get the upper-hand over Forest Princess and Pat Smullen at the distance before edging away close home to score by four and a half lengths from Shanid..

"It gets easy at 40!" was the reaction of the popular Isle Of Man-born rider who was providing the five-member, Galway-based Midway Racing Syndicate with their first success and one lucky punter with a near £10,000 Jackpot dividend. Mayasta, twice a winner on the flat this season and winner of five races over hurdles, opened her account over fences when comfortably landing the Londis Beginners Chase.

Carrying the colours of J P McManus, Frank Berry's charge jumped well for Conor O'Dwyer, who was sporting a shaven head following a Shane Broderick Appeal fund-raiser at Naas on Sunday evening, before forging ahead of market rival, Tommy Paud and Francis Flood over the last to land the spoils by four lengths. "I'm glad Conor won on her as he's ridden her a number of times over hurdles without winning. She may take in a 1m 6f flat handicap at Ballinrobe next Sunday before going on to Listowel for a winners-of-one," said Berry, who was notching his fourth win of the current campaign.

Francis Flood jnr had better luck later in the evening when partnering Lady Of Grange, trained by his father and namesake, to win the Strandhill Handicap Hurdle, his first success of the season.