There was a dramatic finish to the feature at Listowel this afternoon as Portrade emerged victorious in the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle.

The George Stanley-trained winner was strongly pressing Smiler going to the last flight in the two-miler when the leader blundered away his chance.

Portrade, under a strong drive from Andrew Lynch, had to fight off the challenge of 7/1 co-favourite Macnicholson on the run-in to register a half-length verdict in the €40,000 contest.

The 8/1 winner has been a model of consistency this summer, winning twice in July and having been placed on his last three outings.

It was a nice boost for Lynch, who recently lost the job as number one jockey to Alan and Ann Potts and only returned from injury at this meeting on Sunday.

Stanley was full of praise for the winning jockey:- “It was a nice ride and we were lucky to get Andrew. He got him very settled compared to his last few runs. He did a wonderful job and all thanks go out to him.

“I have five or six horses and do this as a sideline. I'm based in Ratoath near Fairyhouse and I'm an unfortunate builder by trade!

“That's one of our biggest wins. We also won the Galway Blazers with Ballito (in 2008).”

Lynch added: “The boys thought sticking him in a nice handicap off a light weight would be the trick for him and everything worked out to plan. He jumped well, travelled well and battled on well.”

The other two co-favourites in the race were The Game Changer who finished tenth, and Pires who was twelfth.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes)