"He must have improved from last year and strengthened up. He's only a five year old and while he showed promise last year, his form tailed off at the back end of the year," said Tim Doyle after his Ask David popped up at odds of 20/1 in the Buy Online @ TipperaryRaces.ie Handicap Hurdle.

Owned and bred by Doyle's wife Claire, and ridden by J J Slevin, Ask David shrugged aside the fact that he'd been off the track for 182 days as he held on from the staying on Ted Bach by a length and a half. Grey Mountain Mist on his first start for 'Dusty' Sheehy, with Paul Townend up, lost second close home and he finished half a length back in third.

"He'll go for something similar and will keep going for the summer. He's by Ask and I like his progeny," further stated Doyle.

(TW & EM)