Hartside was backed at all rates from 7/4 to 4/5 and landed the spoils for eager punters when staying on dourly to win the Rosslare Handicap over two miles at Wexford.

When he picked up the lead from First Friday all eyes were on Mulleady who travelled ominously well just in behind.

In a battle over the last two furlongs Mulleady and Fran Berry couldn’t quite get on terms as Hartside and Ben Curtis kept going. There was two lengths in it at the line. Mulleady was easy to back from 3/1 out to 5/1.

First Friday and Seamie Heffernan were beaten 18 lengths in third at 12/1 having cut out most of the pace in the testing conditions.

“He’ll make a nice jumps horse. He jumps nicely and I know he schooled before his last win and that probably sweetened him up,” jockey Ben Curtis said afterwards about Tommy Carmody's winner.

There were 19 horses declared for this race, but nine were non-runners as the ground deteriorated at Wexford.

(on course reporting by Donal Murphy)