Inis Meain benefited from a well judged waiting ride from Danny Mullins to win the opening Dunsany Handicap Hurdle at Navan today for his retained owner Barry Connell, in the process booking his ticket for the Cheltenham Festival.

The son of Bernstein a Listed Flat winner, had proven mostly disappointing over hurdles until stepped up in trip over jumps recently and was today produced with impeccable timing by Mullins.

Mullins held Inis Meain up in rear for much of the trip and gradually made progress from three out to edge to the front on the run-in for a half length win over Kostar

Afterwards winning trainer Denis Hogan, having his second winner in as many days, stated “it's a great confidence booster to get his head in front and I thought Danny did great to bring him from where he did.

“He stays really well and we've done a lot on his jumping since Christmas; since then he has been jumping fences and has done a lot of pole work which just teaches him to back off and respect his hurdles more.

“He'll have entries at all the handicaps at Cheltenham: the Pertemps Final, the Coral Cup and Martin Pipe Hurdle and looking at them, the Pertemps looks the race for him over a true run three miles. He needs a few pounds to get in but hopefully that should leave him spot-on at the weights.”

“At one stage it came into my head to give up on him over jumps but Barry (Connell, owner) is a National Hunt man but that's what the horse was bought for and it was our job to get him jumping!”

Boylesports later cut Inis Meain to 16/1, from 25s, for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham.

By Thomas Weekes, quotes from Gary Carson