The closing bumper in Roscommon boiled down to a duel between fellow newcomers Dan Mcgrue and Grinditout with the former proving stronger at the finish.

There was a marked difference in the odds the two protagonists were returned at - Dan Mcgrue was 20/1 while Grinditout was the 5/2 favourite from a morning price of 13/2.

They were locked together inside the final furlong but Dan Mcgrue found plenty in the closing stages for JJ Slevin to beat his rival into second by three parts of a length. He had been prominent throughout. Mac Cennetig took third place, three and a half lengths behind the runner-up.

Handler John Nicholson said: "He's a horse that keeps finding a bit all the time at home. We had another to run here but he just kept pulling out a bit so we said we'd run him.

“He doesn't show a lot but he just keeps galloping. He was unsold at the August Sales and I bought him after he went back home.

“I think a lot of him. He's a good horse to jump and I thought about going point-to-pointing with him but I'm glad I didn't now.

“He's a beautiful horse with a great temperament."

Additional reporting by Gary Carson