O'Grady delighted to see Malinas Glory off the mark

Malinas Glory (5/2f) was on good terms with himself as he stretched away to take the honours in the extended two-mile-six-furlong handicap chase at Thurles.

A good jump at the penultimate fence saw Likable Chancer take over, however, it was a long way home from there and Malinas Girl closed up, travelling much the better, on the approach to the final fence.

Darragh O'Keeffe sent the pursuer on just before the last and the seven-year-old gelding bounded away on the run-in to strike by just under five lengths. Likable Chancer had no answers in second at 7/2.

Arthur O'Grady said: "At last - it was a while coming! He did it nicely in the end today.

"He is belonging to a 10-member syndicate from all over and some are local to us, so I'm delighted.

"Darragh is flying at the moment."

This was Malinas Glory's breakthrough racecourse success at the 23rd time of asking across, bumpers, hurdle races and chases.

Additional reporting by Tom Weekes