Busy Luke Dempsey making a big name for himself

Luke Dempsey is riding the crest of a wave and the in-demand 18-year-old jockey has rides at all three Irish weekend meetings including the topweight Stuccodor in the Lincolnshire at the Curragh.

Two and a half hours before that flat feature, Dempsey is scheduled to ride in the opening hurdle at Limerick while he has three mounts at Navan today including College Boy who can win the handicap hurdle.

Stuccodor’s trainer Dermot Weld has praised the jockey. “Navan’s feature is the Grade Two Webster Cup Chase which sees the reappearance of the former Grade One winner Flemenstar. Absent with a tendon problem for 16 months, he will be ridden by Keith Donoghue.

“He’s been off a long time and he’ll improve for the run, but he’s fit enough and good enough to give a good account of himself,” said Flemenstar’s trainer, Tony Martin.

However the horse faces a major task against Felix Yonger whose Hilly Way defeat of Mallowney looks very good now and who returned to action with a win over hurdles at Leopardstown. Jarry d’Honneur drops in trip for the novice chase but his freewheeling style could negate that issue while Rolling Rocket is preferred in the concluding handicap.