Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Tom Taaffe completed a good day's work at Dundalk this evening when Great Soprano (7/4f) provided the trainer with two notable firsts when winning the Happy Christmas To All Our Patrons Maiden (Div 2).

Ridden by Seamie Heffernan, the son of Arch went to the front over a furlong out and stayed on for a neck win over newcomer Heuston

Taaffe later revealed “that's my first winner for my wife Elaine and it's also my first winner, from only a few runners, on the polytrack. I did train my first winner as a trainer at the 'old' Dundalk though; Only A Rose, ridden by John Shortt in 1994.

“Great Soprano has progressed from the last day and loves the good surface. He was a bit free early and was in front a bit sooner than we would have liked but he could turn out to be a nice horse. He'll go on his holidays now and come back when we eventually get good ground.”

Additional reporting by Alan Magee