Big Chou recorded his second win at Fairyhouse this season when finishing strongly for a decisive success in the Close Brothers Rated Novice Hurdle.

The Noel Meade-trained gelding was available at 14/1 overnight and was supported to go off a 6/1 chance.

The five-year-old headed Apple’s Of Bresil approaching the last and drew clear on the run-in under Conor Stone-Walsh to beat that rival by eight lengths. Brave Fortune kept on in the closing stages to finish a further length and a quarter back in third.

Meade said, "They went hard and that suited him because he stays really well.

“They went slow and then quickened up in Navan and left him for dead. He came home well enough. That was probably a good run because it was a good race, a much better race than this.

“Funnily enough this has been a lucky race for me, I think we've won it three or four times.

“He's a chaser in the making. His owner decided to bring the kids to the rugby instead of the races but I'm sure he'll get a good kick out of it anyway.

“He wouldn't be a winter horse and after Navan I sort of threatened that we'd give up but then the weather stayed right.

“I suppose we might try and run him at Leopardstown over Christmas.”

Quotes by Gary Carson