The John McConnell trained Hasten Slowly belied odds of 28/1 when leading close home under Siobhan Rutledge to win the opening Party Time Claiming Race at Limerick.

Prominent throughout, the four-year-old still had work to do when pushed along in fifth early in the straight but to her credit the daughter of Kessaar found plenty for pressure. Magnetic North set the fractions under Shane Foley but looked there on sufferance over a furlong out, as Colin Keane arrived alongside travelling easily on French Company

That latter pair looked set to fight out the finish at that point but Hasten Slowly soon made it a three-way battle inside the final furlong, before edging ahead close home to win by a neck.

Favourite Kendancer who proved unsuited to a slowly run race, finished off strongly to eventually take fourth.

Winning trainer John McConnell said: "She is what she is, she isn't over-big but has a good big heart and isn't far off that mark (67). She got hampered in her last run so I told her owner to put a line through it and she deserved it today.

"I'm delighted she has won and if we keep her then great, and we'll keep going. You could get a lot worse than her." Roderick was claimed for E4,000 by H D McGuigan. Hasten Slowly was the subject of a friendly claim by John McConnell.

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes