Basil brushes off rivals to score for Cusack

Basil’s Boy (14/1) was the winner of the VSDirect Your Idea Our Solution Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Eoin Walsh.

The 7lbs claimer brought the Frozen Fire gelding through to lead before the last and Basil’s Boy kept on well to defeat last-time-out winners Elegant Dan and Insane Bolt by a length and a half and half a length.

A winner at Downpatrick last year, the victorious 6-y-o had also finished second at the August Festival at this track, and was the better for a recent comeback run at Tipperary.

Winning trainer Liam Cusack said: “He ran well here before and we had a good seven-pound claimer aboard so it's not much of a surprise.

"He ran a bit fresh at Tipperary on his first run back and he needed that run. He has been more relaxed at home since and has been in a better frame of mind.

"I was hopeful that we might get a bit of place money as it read a good race on paper.

"Eoin (Walsh) got him nice and relaxed and got him into a lovely rhythm. He obviously came on for the Tipperary run and he won nicely.

"The plan was to see how today went and sure there might be another one of these in him. Hopefully we can get that man on board again.

"I'm delighted for his owner Basil Whelan. He is an elderly man and I'd say it's his first winner in his own colours."

Additional reporting by Donal Murphy