Defan gives McGrath his fourth winner

Defan readily accounted for his rivals in the KPMG Handicap Chase at Ballinrobe.

Derek McGrath had him tracking the leader Jack Holiday who had a propensity for jumping left.

Jack Holiday made a mistake three out and inconvenienced Defan but the pursuer didn't lose any ground and soon closed right up on the leader.

Defan went on approaching the penultimate fence and put in a good jump which enabled him to move clear by the last.

The 7/1 shot negotiated it well and strode away by nine lengths from Nelly's Money (9/2). Jack Holiday (20/1) dropped to third.

McGrath said: “His first two jumps were a little bit big and I was hoping he’d come down a bit for me which he did. He was brave when I needed him.

"There was one fence when the leader (Jack Holiday) jumped across me and we almost clipped heels but apart from that it all went fairly smoothly.

“That’s my fourth winner on the track.”

Additional reporting by Mark Nunan