Rising Dust and Danny Mullins. © Photo Healy Racing
A regular visitor to the winner's enclosure at Listowel over the years, veteran Limerick trainer Michael Hourigan enjoyed further success at the County Kerry track when Rising Dust ran out an easy winner of the Cnoc An Oir Handicap Hurdle.
Carrying the colours of Donal O'Connor, a longstanding owner with the stable, the six-year-old improved on a very encouraging second placing at Punchestown last month.
Travelling well throughout in the hands of Danny Mullins, the Leading Light gelding went on after three out, coming wide into the straight in search of better ground.
Going clear on the run to the penultimate flight, Rising Dust briefly looked like being threatened by the closer Annie Questions after the last but found plenty to stretch ahead for a six length success.
Michael Hourigan said: "It has been a year (since his last winner) but it was always going to come.
"This horse thinks a lot about his races and was going home after he was due to run at Punchestown but he reprieved himself. He followed that run up today and, more than anything, we found a jockey to ride him.
"At Punchestown I asked him (Mullins) to make the running if he could, but told him to make up his own mind and to go to Plan A,B,C,D,E or F or through the alphabet if he wanted. He came in and told me he couldn't fault the horse but a man with confidence can ride like that. I gave him no instructions today."
He added "I won a Kerry National for his owner (Donal O'Connor) with Native Performance when he had a 1-2 in the race but Willie Mullins trained the runner-up.
"We got the better of Willie for once that day and Donal and his wife led in both horses into the winner's enclosure and got a photo of it."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes.
