Published: Friday, 25th July, 2008 12:00pm

Piano Star eyes Galway Plate after Midlands National win

With a €50,000 prize pot, the Ladbrokes Midlands National is easily the centrepiece of the Kilbeggan racing season.

The race often acts as a pointer to the Galway Plate and though yet to produce a winner of that famous event, this year"s National will have given some key clues to punters.

The winner, Piano Star, trained by Michael Cunningham and ridden by Paddy Flood, came with a perfectly timed run to catch long-time leader Ruby Walsh"s Dow Jones late on, before prevailing by a neck.

Piano Star, at 12/1, was given the nod in the stewards" room following an enquiry and trainer Cunningham revealed afterwards that the race had been a key target for the horse, who now, unsurprisingly, moves on to Galway.

Elsewhere on a busy night"s racing, Dessie Hughes produced a double in the second and third races on the cards, when he produced Montero to win the Tom McCormack Memorial Cup Maiden Hurdle before following up with Laura"s Light in the Tommy Scanlon Bar and Restaurant Handicap Hurdle.

Montero was another with generous enough odds, at 12/1, while Laura"s Light prevailed at 7/1.

The opening race, the Dunvale Fabrications Limited Maiden Hurdle, was won by Noel Meade"s Go Native, with Slippers Madden in the saddle.

The winner was experiencing his debut over hurdles - and was impressive for a first timer, justifying favouritism in the process. This was the only winning favourite of the evening.

Another 12/1 shot prevailed in the Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Hurdle as Seamus Fahey"s Market Watcher came up trumps, again relegating Ruby Walsh to second place on board favourite Mhilu.

With many people watching the car market and waiting until July to make their purchases, it was an appropriate winner in the BMW sponsored event.

The biggest winning margin of the day came in the penultimate Irish Stallion Farms Beginners Chase when Artiste Bay strolled home seven lengths clear for David Casey.

In the concluding bumper, Caim Hill came home in front for trainer Philip Fenton at odds of 9/2.

With three 12/1 winners, it was probably no surprise that the jackpot was not won, although there was a healthy placepot dividend of nearly €2,900. Aggregate betting on the Tote was down slightly from last year at a meeting that was well-attended.