Gudnis Gracious Me made every post a winning one to claim the mares hurdles at Downpatrick for John O'Shea.

Sean McDermott got a good tune out of the mare, who stayed on well in the closing stages to run out a four-and-a-half length winner over Ilikeyou

"It's a bit of a surprise as I thought she would need the run badly. She hasn't run in a while and takes quite a lot to get fit. Freshness got her through," said O'Shea.

"She'll mix it on the Flat and over hurdles but may struggle a bit now off a revised mark.

"She might even jump a fence later in the summer. She's as tough as nails."