Delegate gets the better of odds-on Roconga

Delegate got the better of the odds-on favourite Roconga in the opener at Sligo, the Darcy Contract Cleaning Services Beginners Chase.

Successful three times over flights last summer, the Gordon Elliott trained seven-year-old was well-beaten on his previous three starts in 2017.

Available at 8/1 last night, the son of Robin Des Champs eventually went off at 5s under Davy Russell.

In third early on, the chestnut gelding improved to lead after the third. He was pressed on the outer by Roconga from two out, but battled gamely under pressure from the last, going on to score by two and a half lengths.

The runner-up was returned at 8/11 (from 10/11) under Barry Geraghty for Edward O'Grady, while Valgor Du Ronceray (8/1) was a further eleven lengths back in third with Bryan Cooper in the saddle for Joseph O'Brien.

Russell said afterwards: "He has done it nice now to be fair. He jumped great, handled the ground okay and stayed going to the line, a typical one of Gordon's.

"He needed to battle. He was either going to empty out or battle, and to be fair he done the latter, and ran all the way to the line."

Additional reporting by Eamonn Murphy