Protaras served notice that his turn wouldn't be long delayed, when third in the Galway Plate Trial at Down Royal on June 19th, and he duly stepped up a couple of places on that in Limerick's edition of Thetote.com Galway Plate Trial Handicap Chase today.

Ger Fox did the steering on Noel Meade's now six time winning Lemon Drop Kid gelding, and he needed to be tough over the final two fences to get the better of Dedoctorsdaughter and Sir Harry Cash by half a length and a head.

"We weren't going to run him at all as we thought the ground might be too dead but I kept him wide for the better ground and he jumped from fence to fence," reported Fox.

"We put blinkers on him today as sometimes he can be quite lazy."

S.J. Crimin, rider of Best Value trained by T.J. Nagle Jr., reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount lost its action and pulled up.

(TW & EM)