Could Be King fended off the favourite Wargrave by an ever-diminishing neck in the seven-furlong maiden at Limerick.

Punters really got stuck into Wargrave forcing his price down from 5/2 to 13/8. He tried hard to reel in Could Be King in the final furlong but was never nearer than at the finish and had to settle for second.

The winner took the honours at 9/4 for Patrick Prendergast and Ronan Whelan after a couple of races in Group-race company where he finished fourth and fifth. Mofakker came home two and a half lengths away in third at 5/1.

Patrick Prendergast said: "I was worried about the ground and while we were drawn well, it wasn't ideal to make all like that. It doesn't suit him as he is quite idle and works well from behind.

"His form was very good but we were disappointed with him the last day when Chris (Hayes, jockey) said he lost his action and when we brought him home there wasn't a whole lot wrong with him.

"We backed off him for a week or two and he seemed very very well, so maybe he may have hit himself when he hung badly in that Curragh race. He has never hung before or since and is still a big raw horse but his homework is very good.

"We got away with the ground as it is getting very bad.

"Ronan said tongue-in-cheek he was minding my nursery mark but really he nearly made a hames of it looking over his shoulder, as you can't stop riding on that ground."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes