Boss Croaker and Troll d'Oudairies (partly hidden) jump the last together© Photo Healy Racing
Boss Croaker showed the benefit of a recent chase outing when successfully reverting to hurdles in the three-mile handicap under a never-say-die ride by Philip Enright.
Top-weight Troll d’Oudairies looked all over the winner when arriving on a tight rein to lead at the second last, and an impressive leap at the last seemed to settle the issue.
However Enright never gave up on the 8/1 chance and, in a head-bobbing finish, Robert Tyner’s charge got the verdict by a short-head.
The well-backed Pals Leg (10/1 in the morning and backed from 8/1 into 13/2 on track) was a further three lengths adrift in third.
Tyner said, “He would have been an unlucky loser. He got underneath the last and the second horse got a length and a half. He got back on the line and I was kind of confident that he got up. He gets three miles well.
“I had him in at Thurles tomorrow. However I didn’t think the rain had got into the ground at Thurles yet, so we decided to come here. He doesn’t have to have it soft but he wouldn’t want it hard.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson