Starliner charts route to victory in Listowel

There was a surprise in the first race at Listowel as 4/11 favourite Master of The Hunt could only manage third behind Starliner who made all on the testing ground.

Just the five runners went to post for this extended seven furlong juvenile maiden and Starliner was quickly into stride for Gavin Ryan. Master Of The Hunt was on the leader's shoulder at the halfway point, but Starliner (5/2) got first run on him inside the final quarter of a mile.

At the furlong pole, it was 28/1 outsider My Princess who looked a bigger danger on the inner and she really served it up to the leader in the closing stages, but went down by a head.

Starliner had been placed in two of his three previous races.

Ryan said: "His first run was a good run when showing plenty signs of greenness, then got no rub of the green at the Curragh and on his last run he seemed to run into one.

"All his runs have been with plenty credit, but this is a tough place to come in these conditions. He has had to do all the hard work in front, which leaves you vulnerable, but it is a sharp track and he was good and tough.

"Most of the Niarchos family's (Flaxman Stables) horses are versatile ground-wise and come from good pedigrees, and when you ride horses like him they'll handle anything."

Additional reporting by Tom Weekes