The opening race at Sligo this afternoon, the Family Day At Sligo 15th July 4yo Maiden Hurdle, went to the well backed 11/4 favourite (opened 9/2) Liberty's Gift for trainer Paul Flynn with Mick Darcy in the saddle.

The son of Statue Of Liberty had been tried over hurdles five times before today but had his last four runs on the level, running well on each start.

Owned by the Have Another Syndicate he made all and kept on well when pushed out to assert before the last to score by three lengths from the Noel Meade trained Westhaven in second at 5/1 under Paul Carberry.

The Gordon Elliott trained Experimentalist finished a further five and a half lengths back in third at 5/1 under Davy Condon while the well backed Templeton (12/1 this morning into his starting price of 6/1) could only manage tenth under Philip Enright for Henry De Bromhead.

Winning trainer Paul Flynn said afterwards: "Mick dictated it from the first. He gave him a breather and I thought at the time it was the wrong thing to do but he was right.

"I don’t know where he will go now. I was going to wait for the Lartigue Hurdle at Listowel but Galway is a small possibility now or maybe a run on the flat. He might go for the 4yo Hurdle on the first day of Galway.

"He is probably better going left handed and on good ground."

Flynn was recording his first winner since Whats Up Britta scored at Thurles on the 3rd of April.

(On-course reporting by Thomas Weekes)