Royal Rendezvous cruises home in Ballybrit

Odds-on-favourite Royal Rendezvous galloped right away from the field for a decisive victory in the Corrib Oil Maiden Hurdle at Galway.

He had the pursuers on the stretch jumping the second-last and travelled strongly under a motionless Ruby Walsh as the pair drew well clear coming to the last.

The King's Theatre gelding marked himself out as a smart novice hurdling prospect as he sauntered home by 16 lengths at 4/6. Tara Dylan took the runner-up berth at 4/1 with Kilchreest Moon in third at 66/1.

Ruby Walsh said: "Jumping has brought a bit of improvement from his bumpers; he looked a bit quicker today than he did in bumpers. He settled reasonably well.

"Today's ground isn't usual Galway ground in October and it's nearly good ground; it's barely slow."

Royal Rendezvous arrived in Ballybrit on the back of a pair of bumper victories at Downpatrick in August and earlier this month in Tipperary.

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes