Odds-on backers had a right old sweat before Comfort Zone landed odds of 1/3 in the Murray Ambulance Apprentice Maiden.

Mikey Sheehy 's mount moved up strongly to join Monarchs Brae two furlongs out but soon had to be hard ridden and it was only close to the line that he mastered that rival to score by a head.

The winner, who was completing an across the cards double for Joseph O'Brien after Karaoke at Dundalk, had finished almost five lengths in front of the runner-up when they clashed at Galway last month.

Mikey Sheehy said: “We didn’t go overly mad and maybe I should have made the running on him.

“He travelled well into the straight but he just took a bit of time to get rolling. Inside the last 100 (yards) when I got stuck into him he really dug deep for me.”

Sixth home Beachmount Paddy was disqualified after rider Jack Kearney failed to weigh in.

Quotes from Alan Magee