Galway Hurdle hero Farmer Brown opened his account on the Flat at Wexford on Friday night but odds-on punters got a major scare as he just shaded the verdict.
Pat Hughes' charge looked set for a comfortable victory when kicking on before the straight under Nina Carberry in the Brompton Recruitment Race.
The 4/7f started to flounder close home, however, and had to pull out all the stops to hold the late surge of Tomorrow's Dream.
'It was good to come out the right side. It does idle and did it at Galway too,' said Hughes.
'He'll get a break until October/November. We might stay off the Flat with him until next season. He has enough to do over hurdles. We'll keep him to a run a month - he's better fresh.'
Carberry went on to complete a double in the concluding bumper when Have Your Say ran out an impressive winner.
The Jim Devereux-trained gelding kicked on three furlongs out and powered down the straight for an 11-length success.
There was also a double for trainer Paul Nolan, although he missed the victories of Fiery Lord and Mudslinger as he was attending a wedding.
Alain Cawley delivered Fiery Lord to lead before the last in the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Hurdle and he went on to record a cosy four-and-a-half length success.
Mudslinger repeated the trick in the following maiden hurdle under Barry O'Neill.
The Norwich gelding led into the straight and kept on strongly to score by two-and-a-half lengths from Conquistadores.
'He didn't handle the ground last time but had won his bumper well in Clonmel on nice ground,' said stable representative Brendan Walsh afterwards.
'He's a nice horse with loads of gears and will hopefully go on to better things.'
North Shore continued the recent trend of Galway winners following up when cruising to a four-length success in the TJ Brunelle Memorial Handicap.
Pat Shanahan sent the 11/10f on before the straight and he wasn't extended to dispose of his rivals.
'I was wondering whether to run him on the Friday or Sunday at Galway but I knew this was coming up and when it turned soft there I said we would hold on and have a crack at this,' said trainer Robbie Osborne.
'He's been right horse this year and his maiden hurdle form is good. Since Kilbeggan, where he had a rotten fall, he hasn't looked back and is enjoying his racing.'
The Willie Mullins-trained Imperial Hills also turned the www.brompton.ie Maiden into a procession.
Davy Condon let the gelding cruise into the lead early in the straight and he sauntered to a hard held three-length margin.
Martin Lane produced Lupita with a well-timed challenge in the final furlong of the opening apprentice handicap to record a length-and-a-half success.
