Keith Watson's King Christophe bossed things from the front in the Camida Pia Handicap at Clonmel and that approach from jockey Chris Hayes took the 5/1 shot all the way to success in the near mile and a quarter event.

It might have been different had Shane Foley not lost his stick on favourite Lucky Mistake under two furlongs out. He then just failed to get to King Christophe, going down by a head.

"He had a good start back at Naas when the saddle slipped so I'll have to take some of the blame for that but he has come back well and probably got a soft enough lead up front," said Watson's son Marshall.

"He likes a bit of juice in the ground so hopefully it keeps raining for him. We'll take it race by race with him and he might go over hurdles again during the summer so we have plenty options for him.

"It took four and a half hours coming down and this it makes up for Ballinrobe and Dundalk last night!"

(TW & EM)