Eoin Doyle further bolstered his record as the leading trainer at Tramore in recent years when The Rossmeister just came out best in an exciting finish to the Dunhill Handicap Hurdle and then survived a stewards enquiry. Scottish Reel set a strong pace but was a spent force from two out as the field bunched up with quite a few in with chances.

The second reserve Kai Li (14/1) held a narrow advantage over the last but was collared on the run-in by The Rossmeister (14/1) who in turn just held the late challenge of Opera Music (16/1) by a head.

The stewards looked into the possibility of interference in the closing stages but the placings remained unaltered, with Shay Barry's mount confirmed the winner.

Mooncoin-based Doyle said, “He missed last year with leg trouble but ran well enough last time on the Flat. He may go over fences next and will continue to mix it.”

(Additional reporting by Donal Murphy)