Tikkanen Express impresses on chase debut

Tikkanen Express made an impressive debut over fences when taking the Greenmount Park Beginners Chase for James Dullea and Phillip Enright at Limerick.

The grey, a 16/1 chance here, and having his first outing in 166 days, put this near two and a half miler to bed from before the final fence, eventually accounting for Mannin Island by six and a half lengths.

"We're over the moon with that - we've been very quiet since New Year's Day and only had two runners since as the horses just weren't right," said Dullea.

"Philip gave him a great ride - he's not a straightforward horse but is learning and hopefully he'll progress from here.

"He is exceptional to jump - we knew last summer over hurdles that chasing would be his game. He's very highly strung and it's all about keeping him right in his head.

"He'll be kept on the go during the summer."

(TW & EM)