The Black Russian made all from flagfall and despite blundering at the last he had plenty in hand in Sligo’s two mile maiden hurdle.

This was a lucky spare ride for Andrew Lynch who replaced Davy Condon who wasn’t in action due to a fall in Roscommon.

Lynch and The Black Russian set a fast pace as they raced clear of Whisky Galore who in turn was well ahead of the chasing pack.

Nothing came out of the pack to hunt down The Black Russian and he didn’t weaken despite doing all the work from the front.

Lynch got him rolling again after an error at the last and they won by 11 lengths at 8/1. Donatis Comet and Strategic Bid (7/4f) fought out the minor honours with the former getting second at 7/2 by a head.

Successful trainer Fergus Hanley said of the seven-year-old: “It’s a pity Tony Kelly has gone back to England as he did a great job on him and deserves a mention.

“Andrew did a good job on him as he’s tricky. He’s an honest old horse. Some lads would say he’s a rogue, but he stresses himself out so much as he tries so hard.

“When he goes out you know he’s going to be sore the next morning. We were going to sell him to England for good ground, but he handled that ground there.”

This was The Black Russian’s first career victory on his 14th start. It was Fergus Hanley's first winner for 72 runs (1780 days).

Additional reporting by Gary Carson