Square gets off the mark over flights

The Eoin Doyle trained St Peter's Square got off the mark on his ninth start over flights as he took an incident packed Michael Guiry Auctioneers Maiden Hurdle. Solent Lad lost considerable ground at the start while Annadiamond (9/4) and Le Troisieme Gris both fell at the fourth. Glance Of Doon (14/1) was hampered by the fallers and she unseated.

St Peter's Square avoided the carnage and was settled in mid-division by Mark Walsh.

He was ridden in third after two out and hit the front before the last, keeping on well to score by five lengths. Racing Again ran a fine race to finish second at 20/1 under Brian O'Connell for Con O'Keeffe while Crown Pleasure (10/3) was a further length and a quarter back in third under Andrew Lynch for Tom McCourt.

The winning son of Danehill Dancer opened at 11/4 on-course before going off the 2/1 favourite.

Eoin Doyle said afterwards: "I've had more seconds the last while I thought I'd never get a winner. He won anyway and we might have got a bit of luck with the few fallers.

"He is a little bit of a timebomb as he wouldn't come down the hill but once he met the rising ground he picked up well.

"He ran well on the flat at Killarney when fourth to Modem so he might go for a 0-65 on the flat somewhere.

"He might go to the sales in Doncaster, he is a winner now anyway.

"He is entered again here (on Saturday) but Mark said he just didn't handle the track even though he won. We will see though, we are only down the road from here and we have nothing to lose.

"His owners (the B.A Syndicate) are from Wexford and Kilkenny."