Erich makes the breakthrough in Naas opener

Erich Bloch made the breakthrough on his fifth start, as he took the opener at Naas this afternoon, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.

Having filled the runner-up spot on his last three starts, the Ger Lyons trained gelding certainly wasn't winning out of turn.

Sent off a 3/1 chance under Colin Keane, the son of Dandy Man was soon toward the head of affairs, and led from halfway.

He was pushed along over a furlong out, and kept on well from there to see off the challenge of Clashaniska (returned the 7/4 favourite after opening on-course at 5/2) by three parts of a length.

Chris Hayes was aboard the runner-up for Gordon Elliott, while newcomer We'll Go Again (40s to 25s on-course) was another four and a quarter lengths back in third for Robbie Colgan and Madeleine Tylicki.

Lyons said afterwards: "I blame myself as I ran him in Navan thinking he was a good thing and thought it was just a question of turning up. In his defence you could see all the way up the straight he was changing his legs on the fast ground and he just couldn't handle it.

"The little bit of juice in the ground helped him today but he was still looking around in front which leads us to believe there is a bit more in the tank. It's nothing more than the horse deserves after his campaign during the summer.

"We'll let him grow up now and hopefully have a nice three-year-old for next year. We could look at something like the Madrid to aim him at early doors."

The winner is owned by David Spratt and Sean Jones, and was bought for 100,000 pounds as a yearling.

Additional reporting by Alan Magee