Steelambition (green & yellow) leads over the last© Photo Healy Racing
Steelambition saw off the market principals, Buck A Trend and Smitty Bacall in the www.tramore-racecourse.com Maiden Hurdle.
Successful in a point-to-point at Castletown-Geoghegan in April, the Paul Flynn trained five-year-old since disappointed on his first racecourse start at Roscommon.
Making his debut over flights this evening, and fitted with a tongue strap for the first time, he was sent off at 33/1 under Barry Browne.
Sent straight to the front, the son of Robin Des Pres made all. He was strongly pressed from two out, but responded well for pressure, going on to prevail by a neck.
Buck A Trend (6/4) had to settle for second under Phillip Enright for James Dullea, while the 5/4 favourite Smitty Bacall was another two and three parts of a length back in third.
Flynn said afterwards: "I don't know what happened him the last day. We were going to send him to the sales but he ran so bad he didn't go. I'm putting it down to the ground.
"I put the tongue strap on today even though I don't think there is a lot wrong with his wind. He just runs with his mouth open.
"He likes this ground and he probably wants to be jumping. He is a three mile chaser and is still for sale. He won his point-to-point well. He was just all wrong last year.
"A few of my horses ran bad the week when he disappointed at Roscommon. I'm hoping that he'll be fine going forward. He'll win more races.
"He is owned by Michael Regan from Roscommon, and everything he has had with me has won, so we are keeping that record up."
