Rebel Fitz the Galway Hurdle hero on the corresponding card last year, showed his class to land the Guinness Mid-Strength Novice Chase at Galway under Barry Geraghty.

Those that availed of even money (returned 10/11) had only a brief worry when Geraghty gave the now three time course winner a 'niggle' after the last.

However in the words of the winning jockey his mount soon "jumped back on the bridle" and Rebel Fitz eased on inside the last to easily defeat Sizing Italy and Changing The Guard by three and three parts of a length and three parts of a length.

Geraghty said of the Mick Winters-trained and Brian Sweetnam-owned scorer: "He's all class. The ground was a concern but he has the engine and he's high class really.

"It's good to ride a winner for connections that really enjoy it too."

Winters commented: "He jumped good and solid and was well-balanced on ground he wouldn't like. With the conditions of the race here it was a hard one to walk away from.

"He didn't put a foot wrong and having walked the track we let him run. He'd have schooled at Dromahane (point-to-point track) in the past after a meeting there, when the ground would be chopped up, so it wasn't anything new to him." (EM)