Meade remarked: "He always runs well when fresh and jumped great there. He jumps a bit to his left at his fences, so he's usually better going the other way. We won't over-race him, and he'll be entered for the Paddy Power Chase at Cheltenham. We'll see what weight he gets, but there are a good few of those type of races here during the winter. He's better when he doesn't race too often."

Adam O'Neill, a 22-yearold from Dublin, rode his first winner when Rusty Red, the outsider of Joe Crowley's two runners in the race, obliged in the Kilford Arms 3-Y-O Hurdle. The 14/1 shot held on by a short head from his stablecompanion Piltown, prompting Crowley to say: "Adam gave him a good ride. Obviously I thought Piltown would win it, but Rusty Red is a reasonable horse as well."

Sonne Cinq, from the Willie Mullins stable, ran out the length-and-a-half winner of the Langtons House Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Davy Condon. Mullins commented: "She was a little unlucky in Listowel, and I'd like to get her listed placed because she has a good pedigree. She'll stay hurdling for the rest of the winter, but she won't go chasing."

The Colm Murphy-trained Sher Why Not had to survive a Stewards enquiry before he was confirmed the winner of the Gain Feeds Maiden Hurdle. The Shernazar gelding justified favouritism by a neck from Badgerlaw.