In first-time blinkers Palm Beach scored in division two of the Irish Farmers Journal Maiden Hurdle at Kilbeggan.

When with Ballydoyle the successful Galileo gelding won a Listowel mile and a half maiden last September, and he was here building on previous hurdling placings of ‘222.’

A brother to the hugely exciting Derby favourite, Bolshoi Ballet, Palm Beach, for J P McManus, Joseph O’Brien and Mark Walsh, held on this evening from Miss Tempo (finished well) by half a length.

Odds-on favourite Rayapour dropped to third fifty yards out, finding no extra after always being prominent. He was two and a half lengths back.

“We didn’t go much of a gallop and I let him on after the third hurdle. I codded him along and luckily enough the line came in time for me,” said Walsh.

“He has a rating of 119 so hopefully he’ll improve from it. It was the better of the two divisions but it probably wasn’t great bar the top three.

“I’d say he’ll tip away for the summer.”

J.J. Slevin, rider of Zero Six Nine (GER) trained by J.F. O'Shea, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his saddle slipped causing him to pull up.

(AM & EM)