Laura strikes gold for Meade

Noel Meade’s fine run of form across both codes continued when Laura Bullion (11/4 fav) won the opening Allied Bakeries 3-y-o Maiden Hurdle in the hands of Sean Flanagan.

Third on hurdling debut at Ballinrobe and an all-weather winner at Dundalk in April, she led between the final two flights and kept on well to beat the staying-on pair Khanmurjan (20/1) and Olympic Honour (4/1) by three quarters of a length and five lengths.

"Nothing really went right (at Ballinrobe), she got stopped and blocked and didn't really get out, said the winning trainer Meade.

“She was a little bit unlucky.

"She got into plenty of trouble today again too but he (Sean Flanagan) said she felt great and jumped a lot better. She did it well.

"We'll go on and she will probably run in a winners' one and run on the Flat as well.

"She probably wouldn't want heavy ground but she stays well.

"Unfortunately her owner is not here - he's from London and he went to Greece on his holidays and got double pneumonia on the plane. He is in bed in Greece for the last two weeks. It will give him a boost."

Additional reporting by Michael Graham