Houdini Bright belied odds of 33/1 to win the Winter Racing At Dundalk Handicap (div 1) at Dundalk tonight for trainer Dermot McLoughlin and Andrew Thornton.

The winner, who had never started at less than 25/1 in nine starts, was all out late on to hold off the challenge of Chebona Bula and winning owner David Eiffe, from Ratoath and a next door to the winning trainer, said “Dermot (McLoughlin) has 15/20 horse in training and I own 10 to 12 of them.

“Houdini Bright has always shown a little bit at home but has been clueless in his races! He shied away from other horses the last time and even over hurdles he almost stops to look at other horses.

“He got a fairly hard ride the last time and that might have been the making of him. He is a very quirky horse but the penny dropped tonight. I was hoping he would finish sixth or seventh tonight and then go for as claimer at Wolverhampton.

“Houdini Bright is named because of his quirky behaviour – in the morning you’d go out and he’d always have his rug off him - the straps would still be on but the rug would be off!”