Secret Recipe showed a nice turn of foot on heavy ground at Killarney to pick off Levanto and Hold The Line at the furlong pole and stride away to win comprehensively.

Four runners contested this extended mile auction race for three-year-olds and it developed into a fascinating betting heat throughout the day.

Secret Recipe, rated 93 and some 8lbs higher than Levanto and 10lbs better than Hold The Line and Zalty drifted from 10/11 to 13/8 in morning activity. On course his SP was 5/2.

Punters’ concerns must have centred on his race fitness coming off a break of 237 days, as he was already proven on heavy ground when taking a seven furlong maiden at Listowel in September.

Pat Smullen drove him up on the outside a furlong out and he quickly put the race away and passed the post three and three parts of a length clear of Hold The Line (7/4f from 3/1 this morning).

Levanto travelled nicely under Kevin Manning for champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins, but she had no answer in the final furlong as push came to shove. She was half a length off Hold The Line in third.

Winning jockey Pat Smullen said of Dermot Weld’s gelding: “He handled the conditions very well, but he is a very lazy horse at home.

“Handling heavy ground is his strong point. Kerry and soft ground look the key to him!”

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes