First Touch jumps the last under Donie McInerney© Photo Healy Racing
First Touch made it two wins from his last three starts, as he ran out a comfortable winner of the feature at Clonmel, the www.grahamnorris.com Memorial Handicap Hurdle.
Successful on his penultimate start at Roscommon, the Donal Commins trained nine-year-old went down by just three-parts-of-a-length on his most recent start at Punchestown.
Sent off the 3/1 favourite this afternoon, the son of Mahler was settled in second by Donie McInerney, improving to lead from five out.
He was pressed by Sassy Yet Classy before the second last, but went on again before the final flight, keeping on well to score by a-length-and-three-parts. Ciao Bella (15/2) ran on gamely to take second under Sean Flanagan for Liz Doyle, while the aforementioned Sassy Yet Classy (4/1) was another two-and-three-parts of a length back in third.
Winning owner David Murphy said afterwards: "I bought him as a seven-year-old for E1,500 on DoneDeal. He broke his pelvis as a four-year-old in a point-to-point and looking at the size of him, I said you couldn't leave him behind. I won a point-to-point with him and now Donal has him for the track.
"I'm delighted with him and he has been improving away throughout the year. I thought he was a better horse on better ground so he surprised us today.
"He was under the weather last winter but since he has come out of it he has been improving every day. He will definitely win a chase and will probably run at Leopardstown at Christmas or anywhere the ground isn't too bad before it.
"I have 15 point-to-pointers and Donal has one or two track horses that I own with him."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
