Daily Present (11/4) returned to winning ways in calmer waters at Down Royal today, benefitting from a fine tactical ride from Sean O'Keeffe to land the concluding Madri Excepcional Handicap Chase for trainer Paul Nolan.

Successful twice in 2022 prior to pulling up at the Punchestown festival, the seven-year-old returned following a 550-day absence last October when beaten huge distances by top-class novices Grangeclare West and Gaelic Warrior.

Debuting in handicaps rated 120 today, O'Keeffe was better prepared than runner-up Positive Thinker or third-placed Joshua Webb for the dog-leg bend in the home straight as, having secured the inner, the manoeuvre saved ground and helped Daily Present on the run-in.

O'Keeffe reported “he wasn't a bad horse in his hurdle days but missed a year and just took a while to get his confidence over fences.

"They were good beginners' chases he ran in recently and he's got his confidence. It was a nice handicap to start off with - smallish field and he jumped really well.

"The first-time tongue-tie helped him to see out the trip strongly."

Quotes from Michael Graham