118/1 double for Levins & O'Connor

El Tren stayed on best to take division two of the tipperaryraces.ie Handicap, providing Johnny Levins and Donagh O'Connor with a 118/1 double.

Levins and O'Connor were earlier successful with Zippy who came in for market support, and so too did El Tren.

Priced up at 20/1 in early shows, the son of Danehill Dancer opened on-course at just 8s before going off a 6/1 chance in the colours of Dr Tara Browne.

A five time winner in Germany, the six-year-old gelding was bought for 7,000 guineas at Tattersalls last July.

Having shown little on first few starts for Levins, he put in an improved performance to finish eight on his most recent start at Clonmel.

Settled in mid-division he was ridden and had plenty to do as they entered the straight. He really got going from over a furlong out, and swept through to lead in the final 150 yards, keeping on well to score by a length and a half. High Kicker ran a cracker to finish second on her first start since 2015. The Peter Fahey trained six-year-old was returned at 14/1 with Billy Lee in the saddle. Constable Buckley (20/1 to 16s) completed the placings another two and a half lengths back in third under Denis Linehan for John Morrison. Bobabout was sent off the 11/10 favourite and he finished a disappointing sixth for Colm O'Donoghue and Jessica Harrington.

Levins said afterwards: "I'm absolutely delighted and Donagh was absolutely brilliant. We had a plan in our head and it went out the window after the first couple of furlongs and Donagh reverted to Plan F and was absolutely brilliant on him!

"He's a nice horse and while it's a long time since he was rated very high (103 in Germany), he had a couple of bad runs on the all-weather and the ground at Cork the last day was just too firm and he never left himself down.

"The rain that fell was welcomed and he appreciated the ease and obviously he had the ability to do it and thankfully he did it today, on a day when we already had a winner.

"I'm delighted for the owner (Levins' fiancee Tara Browne who was attending a wedding) as it's her first winner in the colours."

Referring to the fact both his winners were well-backed, Levins added: "I don't know about that but anyone brave enough to back my horses I always tip my hat to them!

"I'd imagine people overreacted after my first winner and the favourite (Bobabout) was too short at odds-on. People overreact to winners and some people like to roll-on to winners, and I'd imagine that's what happened."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes