Dimitar powered home inside the final furlong to take the first division of the mile handicap at Dundalk. Red Laser looked set to give trainer Mick Halford a treble when hitting the front a furlong out.

He couldn't hold the late charge of Dimitar, however, who got a strong drive from Wayne Lordan.

The Eddie Lynam-trained gelding got up in the closing stages for a length-and-a-quarter victory.

The winner was sent off the 9/2 second favourite. 3/1 favourite Confident Cub finished back in eighth.

Dimitar was opening his account at the tenth time of asking and eight of those starts have been at Dundalk.

"It's taken a while to say Dimitar scores!" joked Lynam in reference to the horse being named after Fulham player Dimitar Berbatov.

"He's a bit tricky but Wayne gets a good tune out of him. You nearly have to ride him like a dead one.

"He's in again on Friday but that is probably a bit soon and we may wait until the following Friday."

(Additional reporting by Alan Magee)