Work wins well as Lord flops

Keith Donoghue stepped in for a winning spare ride on Time To Work as the Gordon Elliott trained gelding took the last at Roscommon this evening, the Athleague Hurdle.

Donoghue was replacing Davy Condon who was stood down for the day after he was unseated from Desiderata in the fifth.

The youngest horse in the contest at five, the son of Hurricane Run was sent off at 9/2, with Sweet My Lord going off the 4/7 favourite for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh.

That fellow attempted to make all under Walsh, with the winner settling in third.

Time To Work came with his challenge at the second last, hitting the front before the final flight, and staying on strongly on the run-in to score comfortably by six and a half lengths.

The John Joe Walsh trained Compton Court (20/1), who raced off the pace in last, kept on well in the straight, just getting the better of Sweet My Lord for second.

The successful bay, who was formerly trained by Andrew Balding, was recording his fifth career success this evening, and he won a similar conditions contest at Downpatrick in July, before disappointing on his last outing at Sligo.

Gordon Elliott said afterwards: "We will keep him to those conditions races. It was a bit of a messy race. The second is only rated 99, so hopefully the handicapper won’t be too hard on him."

Additional reporting by Alan Magee