Moylisha Tim took the lead after the second flight in the Grade Three novice hurdle and found plenty to take the honours at 6/1.

JJ Slevin dictated matters on board the five-year-old gelding and the pair travelled well approaching the third last of the 12 hurdles.

Slevin went for the whip after that obstacle as Ben Button and Mark Walsh chased them in second.

Ben Button cut into the lead after the second last and was just a length away coming to the last. However, a slick jump from Moylisha Tim saw him land full of running and he maintained the gallop to win by three lengths. Ben Button came in second at 16/1.

Handler Richie Rath said: "It was his first time over three miles on soft ground but I thought he'd get any distance.

"I was never going to jock off JJ [Slevin, unable to use his 7lbs claim in the race] and he gave him a great ride. Another jockey might have come back after riding him and said 'I should have made more use of him' but JJ knows him so well. He also had a ride for (Nigel) Twiston-Davies today but chose to come over here for him.

"He seems to be improving all the time but will have a break now. He's only five and will spend a bit more time over hurdles before going chasing.

"At the start he couldn't finish a point-to-point but has improved every day we run and is a tough horse who keeps pulling it out.

"I've three horses for the track at the moment and have 15 or 16 point-to-pointers. His owner/breeder (Timothy Farrell) has the dam and a full brother, who is for sale, so getting black-type was important." Altiepix the 5/4 favourite, weakened out of contention to finish fourth.

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes