Review fairyhouse 21st Apr

< Shutthefrontdoor gave Barry Geraghty his first Boylesports Irish Grand National with a thrilling success at Fairyhouse.

Backed down to 8-1 favouritism, the Jonjo O'Neill-trained British raider was never too far from the lead, although he still had Golden Wonder who was going great guns, ahead of him turning in.< Saoirse Dun and Jamsie Hall were also in there pitching, but Geraghty encouraged Shutthefrontdoor to dig deep and he flashed past the post three-quarters of a length ahead of Golden Wonder.

Geraghty capped a memorable day when the Nicky Henderson-trained Une Artiste (2-1 favourite) held off stablemate Nadiya De La Vega in the John & Chich Fowler Memorial EBF Mares Chase.

Irish National-winning owner JP McManus swooped for Free Expression (2-1 favourite) after he scored between the flags at Dromahane at the end of 2013 and moved him to Gordon Elliott, and the leading owner gained immediate return on his investment when he prevailed in the Racing Post Champion Point-To-Point INH Flat Race in the hands of Nina Carberry.< Ivan Grozny (5-1) bounced back to form in the Tayto Hurdle.

Willie Mullins' charge appeared set to take high rank in the juvenile division earlier in the campaign, only to come up short at Leopardstown and Cheltenham, but he quickened through a gap against the rails between the last two flights and had enough in reserve to repel the late thrust of Kitten Rock by a head.

Mullins and jockey Paul Townend followed up when Thousand Stars stamped his class on the Grade Two Keelings Irish Strawberry Hurdle as a 4-1 chance.

The grey may be 10 years old now, but he travelled with plenty of zest at the head of affairs and he never really looked in trouble, with market leader Get Me Out Of Here a 10-length runner-up at the line.

A 261-day absence proved no hindrance to Cara's Oscar (16-1), who registered a seven-length triumph in the Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Handicap Hurdle for Colm Murphy and Robbie Power.