Esta Quercus soars over the last under Adrian Heskin, upsides Vercingetorix© Photo Healy Racing
< Esta Quercus sprung a surprise in the Sheridan Electric Hurdle at Ballinrobe.
Gordon Elliott appeared to hold all the aces, with odds-on favourite Vercingetorix taking the lead off stablemate Hostile Fire approaching the final flight and looking the likely winner.
But Adrian Heskin sat in his slipstream on Esta Quercus (16-1) and a spring-heeled leap when challenging at the last helped propel him to a determined head success.< The Nutcracker was the least exposed of the runners going to post for the Costello McDermott 50th Anniversary Mares Handicap Hurdle but her initial NH mark of 106 proved to be lenient.
The Tom Gibney-trained 10-1 shot jumped the last disputing the lead with I'm All You Need and stuck her neck out to fend off the staying-on Supreme Vic by a length and a half.< Valours Minion (10-1) may have been out of the handicap in the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Chase but the 12-year-old rediscovered his zest to turn back the clock, inflicting a five-and-a-half-length defeat on Ballyfinboy < Mr Boss Man proved far too strong for his rivals in the Tipperary Water Maiden Hurdle.
Despite finishing second in a charity race at the Punchestown Festival and then taking a decent third on his jumping bow at Kilbeggan, Frances Slevin's gelding was allowed to go off the 6-1 third-favourite but wasn't for catching once Roger Loughran sent him about his business and passed the post with eight lengths in hand of Shadagann < Wild Fern hadn't shown a great deal in five starts in testing conditions heading into the Mulholland Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle but looked a different mare on this quicker surface as she bounded a length and a quarter clear of Broughtons Bandit
Useful Flat performer Eshtiaal capitalised on his comparatively lenient NH mark to justify 11-8 favouritism in the Audi Ballina Handicap Hurdle.
