Elliott's hotpot gets him up and running at Down Royal The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle, over two miles, six furlongs, was the opener at Down Royal’s two-day fixture and Punchestown Grade 1 bumper winner With Nolimit had no bother justifying odds of 1/6 on his first run of the season. The Gigginstown House Stud-owned son of Bande, an Authorized half-brother to Doctor Dino who was a stakes winner in Japan, was prominent throughout a slowly-run contest and went on after two out to defeat stablemate Water Mill by four lengths. Trainer Gordon Elliott said "I was hoping it wasn't going to be deja vu (last year, where he saw two of his runners exit at the last when lying first and second), but thankfully Jack got a good spin off him and said he wasn't doing a stroke the whole way round. "It was pretty straightforward. Just a messy race, he wasn't doing a whole lot in front. "I think he’s a better horse with a lead - when he won his Grade 1 in Punchestown, he got a lead the whole way. "It is all about chasing down the road. Obviously, he could go to Fairyhouse or somewhere before - I'll talk to Michael and Eddie (O'Leary) and see. "Nice to get him off to a start. We are a little slower this year and there is plenty of improvement in all these horses. "I'd say he actually could drop in trip. In a better race, I'd say he could." On the runner-up Water Mill, he added: "I thought he would run a big race. He had a good blow, and Danny was delighted with him. "He will be a nice horse for the future as well." Additional reporting by Michael Graham
