The Dundalk Stadium On Facebook Handicap went off seven minutes late with Ghostly Bright refusing to load and the gambled-on Golden Clubs testing the patient of the stalls handlers before eventually going in.

In this time Whatever It Takes was shortening up in the market, from 8s into 11/2 on track and from 10/1 earlier in the day.

That support was well-justified as Fran Berry got the High Chaparral gelding to the front two furlongs out before fending off the aforementioned Golden Clubs by a length and a half.

Niall 'Boots' Madden trains Whatever It Takes for J P McManus and he said: "He did it well and I thought he would go close.

"We'll do a bit of both with him now (hurdling as well).

"Hopefully we'll get a bit of a summer. We had no summer last year.

"He won on good ground at Ballinrobe. He goes on soft but he's not as good on it.

"At the backend of last year he had a few runs here but he wasn't right. He's come back a fresh horse." (GC & EM)