Big Tex landed a bit of a touch when making all under Joseph O'Brien in the dundalkstadium.com Handicap.

The Captain Rio chestnut backed from 25/1 into 10/1 on the track, just held the late thrust of Red Army Blues Hot favourite Old English could never dominate as he wanted under substitute rider Fran Berry and he was in trouble from before the straight whilst morning market mover More Than A Lot also disappointed.

Willie McCreery trains Big Tex for his wife Amanda at New Rathbride Stables in the heart of the Curragh (a neighbour to Dessie Hughes) and he said: "There are very little three-year-old races for him. The other morning I saw that there were only fourteen in here so I decided to enter him.

"I'm thrilled and he's a horse that's matured over the winter. He is a tough horse but I didn't think the track here would suit him.

"I thought he'd get a lead from Old English (Mark Johnston's market-leader) but in the end he did it the hard way from the front."