de Feu finally breaks duck

L'Oiseau de Feu broke his maiden at the thirty sixth attempt when he ran away with the Bobbyjo Bistro Handicap Hurdle. Shane Walsh had the mount on the 9/2 chance who beat Macidoni by four lengths.

The American-bred led turning in and magnificent leaps at the last two carried him to a comfortable success.

Ex-English, the five-year-old, now with Shane Kelly (his third trainer) was carrying cheek-pieces and a noseband and his handler said: "This fellow had a rating in the eighties as a two-year-old on the flat in England. He'd be better on better ground.

"It's great to get the win, it's the first for a long while. I was laid up with injuries and that's my first winner since. I'm training not too far from Kilbeggan and I have about 20 horses on the go. The owners (the DBN Partnership) are from Moate."