McGuinness & Cleary on the mark with Taceec

Taceec claimed the second divide of the Paddy Power Handicap, scoring under Rory Cleary for Adrian McGuinness.

Successful on the all-weather at Wolverhampton in January, the son of Most Improved since disappointed at Newcastle and Dundalk.

Back on grass this evening for the first time since October, the four-year-old gelding was sent off a 9/1 chance.

Settled behind the leaders by Cleary, he made good progress to the front from the two furlong pole, and was soon ridden a few lengths clear.

He kept up the gallop inside the final furlong, and held off the staying on Scorpion Black (6/1) by a length and a quarter. Porterinthejungle (6/1) and Belle Cora (5/1) were third and fourth respectively, while Harry Speed the well-supported 7/2 favourite (from 5s), finished sixth.

"That's my first grass winner this year and I was getting a bit worried for a while that I couldn't train on grass!" said McGuinness.

"We had him through the winter. He won in Wolverhampton and then he let us down in Newcastle so we gave him a break.

"We always thought he'd be better on grass and I think he will improve.

"Olly Deely is the main man in the syndicate and he's a Galway man. He'd have to go up a few more pounds but if he did that's where he will be targeted at.

"He'd have to win again to get into a race down there but I think he will progress and will win again.

"The draw is very biased out there today and the inside draw is massive, why I don't know.

"He was drawn low and he had to kick when he did, there was no option. He said he would have taken the bollocking coming in if he had been beat."

Additional reporting by Gary Carson