Evergreen And Red and Bryan Cooper (nearest)© Photo Healy Racing
Evergreen And Red completed a cross-card and cross-codes double for Noel Meade, as he made the breakthrough over flights in the Velvet Cap Maiden Hurdle.
A dual winner on the level, the son of Requinto was beaten into second when sent off a 1/4 chance on his penultimate start, finishing fourth at Listowel on his most recent outing.
Sent off the 13/8 favourite this evening, the bay gelding made all under Bryan Cooper in the silks of the London Racing Partnership.
Awkward over the last, he needed to be ridden out on the run-in to hold off the late surge of Betty Dutton (15/2) by a neck.
Darragh O'Keeffe was aboard the runner-up for Edward O'Grady, with the well-backed Light Fury (16s to 7s) a further nine lengths back in third.
Cooper said in the aftermath: "We changed tactics with him today. He is not the strongest of finishers and we thought we’d try and let him roll and stay from the front.
"If he had jumped the last better he probably would have won a shade cosier. He just got a bit idle in front and put down at it a little bit. It's great that he won and he deserved it.
"He is a real two miler, his bark is bigger than his bite. I discussed it with Noel yesterday morning and we said we'd try this because we had tried everything else.
"It has been a good evening for Noel after his winner (Hasten Slowly) in Leopardstown."
STEWARDS REPORT
K.C. Sexton, rider of Big Belief trained by Seamus Fahey, reported to the Clerk of the Scales that his mount jumped poorly and was pulled up thereafter.
