Richie Deegan could afford to sit up close home as Boghlone Honey ran out a cosy winner of the Benbulben Mares Handicap Hurdle at Sligo.

Killashee shot into a clear lead early in the two-mile-one contest but started to come back to the field at the third last flight.

The Liam Cusack-trained Boghlone Honey claimed the long-time leader over the penultimate flight and soon looked in control.

Deegan pushed his mount out to assert after the last but could afford to ease down in the closing stages to beat Karen's Gift by four-and-three-quarter lengths.

The 6/1 winner was landing a nice touch having been 20/1 this morning. She was making her first start since finishing well beaten at Navan last December.

Cusack said: "It's been a long time coming because she had some nice runs in the book. She was just beaten in Gowran and ran well here before then.

"She had a problem with ulcers last year and it took us a while to get her right. She was out in the field at six o'clock this morning and she'll go back out tonight.

"I knew she was in good nick and if she hadn't run well today, we would have been scratching our heads.

"The layoff was a worry but I put in a new circular gallop with deep sand and we were getting plenty of work into her. We don't gallop her because of the ulcers, we just do plenty of cantering.

"John Murray has a few horses with me and that's his first winner, so I'm delighted for him.

"She's a big mare and her full-sister has won four chases for Emma Lavelle, so she's a chaser down the road but we'll go for another one of these next."

(Quotes by Mark Nunan)