Lee boots home Rich Belief

Rich Belief grabbed his first victory on the Flat in Ireland when landing the concluding 1m7f handicap at Leopardstown.

The five-year-old gelding was produced by Billy Lee to lead rounding the home bend. He kept finding in the straight and put the race away by a length and a quarter to reward favourite backers who took the 7/4. Arabian King finished second at 9/1, half a length in front of recent Corinthian Challenge winner Takarengo (7/1).

Trainer Karl Thornton said: “It was very straightforward and there are no hard luck stories around a big track like this.

“If everything goes right he's not a bad horse on his day. The ground went for him in Galway and from the draw he got a bit crowded as well.

“He'll probably go to Perth now, there is a good hurdle there for him in nine days time.”

Rich Belief has also won twice over hurdles in Ireland in addition to a hurdle victory and a Flat success in Britain.

Additional reporting by Gary Carson