Lady Quill landed a gamble on her first start for Tom Cleary and provided rider Eamonn Corbett with a birthday winner in the two and three quarter miles Thurles Handicap Hurdle.

The seven-year-old Rajj mare, who only joined Cleary recently from Noel Lawlor and was backed on track from 20/1 into half those odds, struck the front early in the straight and soon asserted under Eamonn Corbett.

The uneasy 3/1 favourite did close the gap at the final flight but could make no further progress on the run-in going down by three quarters of a length. Hughies Bay was four and a half lengths back in third, with Krujers Girl the same distance further adrift in fourth.

Cleary said, "She wasn't the easiest to train and Noel Lawlor had the hard work done. I had the simple part and I kept her ticking over.

"I was confident coming here today as she was working well. She ran in the boss Christy Behan's name today and will run in a four-man syndicate's name, including myself and Christy, the next day. The colours just weren't gone through in time.

"She is after giving us a lift there and I needed a winner! We'll look for something similar next and it's the jockey's birthday today too and he goes out with a niece of mine.

"We're all going to meet up at a pint-to-pint meeting tonight!"

(TW & AM)