Caher Roes Den sticks to the task

The Willie Mullins-trained Caher Roes Den was backed from 11/1 into 9/2 ahead of the Kenny Galway Peugeot Handicap Hurdle over three miles and justified the support in a testing finish to shed his maiden tag under rules.

The Soldier Of Fortune gelding, bought by Roger Brookhouse as five-year-old for £110,000 after winning a point-to-point for Colin Bowe, raced prominently throughout. He stayed on strongly to lead up the run in and beat Mr Master Mac by three-and-three-quarter lengths.

"His Downpatrick run was encouraging but he needed to step up to win here today. I got a nice position and he jumped well. Maybe a bit flat-footed off the bend but I liked what he done when he got a bit of daylight,” said winning ride Danny Mullins.

“He ran up the hill nicely towards the finish. He's probably a horse that will jump a fence as well and we'll see what connections will do."

Additional reporting by John O'Riordan