Lift The Gloom opened his account with a game victory in the second division of the mile handicap at Dundalk.

Michael Hussey, completing a double on the night, sent his mount to the front a furlong-and-a-half out.

The Noel Lawlor-trained gelding stuck on well in the final furlong, holding the late run of Bramante by half a length.

"He's sweetened up a bit recently," revealed Lawlor afterwards.

"It was my fault he got beaten in Wolverhampton as I told the jockey to leave it late and it took him a while to get going. We had him up with the pace today.

"A lot of the credit has to go to the lad that rides him, Eoghan Dargan. He's a difficult horse to train and he has done a lot of work with him, including hunting.

"The owner is a friend of mine, Zoe Shannon, and she is married to Galway manager John Moloney's son Eamon who works in Kildangan."