Warn battles to opening race success

The 4/7 favourite Sailors Warn took the opening Isobel Boutique Adare, 4yo Hurdle at Limerick this afternoon for his trainer Edward O'Grady with Barry Geraghty aboard.

Having finished second in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle behind Unaccompanied at Leopardstown in February and a good sixth in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in March the son of Redback was strongly fancied to oblige on his first start over hurdles this season.

The Patrick Wilmott owned gelding took up the running at the second last, passing the filly Little Green (5/1) and looked set for a comfortably victory from there.

However, Little Green responded well to pressure and pushed the favourite all the way to the line just going down by half a length.

Winning trainer Edward O’Grady, who won this race in 2009 with Jumbo Rio who is also owned by Patrick Wilmott, said afterwards: "I’m considering running him on Thursday (in a Grade 3 at Punchestown) as there is nothing else for him for a while.

"We will see where he will go after that.

"He was keen early on when another horse came alongside him. It was a very well run race."