Hard Bought, right, comes to collar Autumn Shades after the last© Photo Healy Racing
Hard Bought found plenty for Brian O'Connell to prevail in a driving finish to the two mile handicap hurdle in Tipperary at 16/1. Keep Swinging quickly moved clear under Ryan Treacy, but was swallowed up on the homeward bend. At this stage Autumn Shades was going strongly, however, Hard Bought tracked him on his inner.
Autumn Shades held a narrow advantage jumping the last, but wasn't fluent upon landing and Hard Bought reeled him in and edged ahead with O'Connell working hard in the plate.
The pair got up to win by a neck from Autumn Shades (7/1). Dollar And A Dream (11/4f) and Klinsmann (4/1) closed on the run-in to third and fourth respectively. They were a head and a neck further adrift.
Trainer John Walsh said: "He got a great drive from Brian and he stole some ground on the inside. That's the fourth handicap he has won.
"He may run again as long as there's a little bit of cut in the ground. He's a game horse."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
