Touch Me Not dominates in Tramore© Photo Healy Racing
Gordon Elliott brought up a landmark 200th winner of the current Irish National Hunt season through Touch Me Not who made all in the opening maiden hurdle at Tramore.
Jack Kennedy did the steering on his 25th birthday and it moved him onto 120 winners for the season, some six clear clear of reigning champion Paul Townend in the Irish jockeys' title race.
The 5/6 favourite Al Gasparo was the only horse able to live with front-running Touch Me Not, but he came under a drive from Keith Donoghue on the approach to the penultimate flight.
Kennedy got after Touch Me Not between the final two hurdles and the Malinas gelding responded as he strode in by four lengths at 2/1. Sloan Square was 20 lengths adrift of Al Gasparo in third at 66/1.
Kennedy said: "The track suited him.
"I had probably been riding him wrong, trying to get him settled, but I just let him gallop today and it seemed to suit him.
"It was nice for him to get the win today and hopefully he can progress from this."
Additional reporting by Donal Murphy
