Blue Cannon and Conor Hoban winning the Ulster Cesarewitch© Photo Healy Racing
Noel Meade's hurdler Blue Cannon returned from a five-month break to win on the Flat for the first time in the Victoria Square Ulster Cesarewitch at Down Royal.
The four-year-old, whose only other victory came in a maiden hurdle at the same track last November, found a light weight in this company very much to his liking.
Conor Hoban brought the well-backed 6-1 shot to challenge on the outside coming off the elbow and he had little trouble clearing away before beating Action Master who got going all too late, by three-quarters of a length.
Jumps followers are used to seeing the Gigginstown House Stud colours in the winner's enclosure, but they were carried to victory on the level when Honour And Obey took the House Of Fraser EBF Fillies Maiden.
Mick Halford's 12-1 shot swept past the disappointing favourite Precious Stone in the straight under Shane Foley and kept up the gallop to hold Empress Of Tara by a neck.
It completed a double for the jockey after Arthur Moore's filly Quinine (7-1) was produced from off the pace to catch newcomer Abstraction in the shadow of the post and win the Lunn's EBF Maiden by a neck.
Ger Lyons' youngster Angela's Dream (5-1 joint favourite) showed commendable resolution to win the Cruise Nursery, zipping round the final bend and battling on to hold Clancy Avenue by a neck under Emmet McNamara, who was riding out his claim.< Annie Go (9-2) took the RNLI Apprentice Handicap after a cool ride from Colin Keane, who waited patiently for a gap and squeezed Tony Martin's mare through it to score by a cosy two and a quarter lengths.
The Harry Rogers-trained Elusive Express (8-1) broke her duck at the 20th attempt when she forged clear under Chris Hayes to beat Chillie Billie by two lengths in the Reiss Handicap.
