Little over a length split the first four home in the Frank Gillane Memorial Maiden Hurdle at Tramore but that'll matter little to connections and backers of the victor, Fort Montagu

The course bumper scorer had many supporters in the betting and he went off the 7/4 favourite to get the better of his eleven rivals. Edification put the pace to this two miler but Mark Enright always kept him in his sights on John Nicholson's Fort Montagu.

In the end Fort Montagu prevailed by half a length from Glan Y Gors

"Horses for courses. He won his bumper here and we think a lot of him, we think he is a right horse," said Nicholson.

"He had a few little niggly problems, he had corns on his feet, that is why we haven't seen as much of him as we should have. He could go anywhere and will be some horse over a fence.

"He will stay novice hurdling while we can get away with it. I thought he was really well, he done a good bit of work up the Old Vic the other morning and that done me anyway.

"I was worried when I saw my other colours coming though (the similar colours of Barry Connell)!

"Tramore is a very lucky track for me and Mark gave him a good ride. He does a lot of the work at home and is a very underrated rider.

"He would rather better ground than today. He got away with it, he is a good ground horse.

"He is in Killarney on Thursday but he'll hardly go there, we have Ask Susan for that."

(DM & EM)