Coming in-foal often has a positive effect on mares and that has certainly been the case with Knockcroghery (in-foal to Fame And Glory) as the John Nicholson trained mare completed her hat-trick under Mark Enright in the At The Races Rated Hurdle.

The versatile daughter of Pelder won a handicap on the level at Tipperary late last month and she followed up again on the level at Bellewstown on Friday.

Back over hurdles this afternoon, she hit the front before the second last and good jumps at the last two helped her cause as she just held off the late surge of the Barry Geraghty ridden 7/4 favourite, Pires by a short-head.

"The only race she won’t run is the Galway Plate!", John Nicholson joked afterwards.

He added; “We will have to think about the Galway Hurdle now and she could also run in the amateur riders race on the Monday.

“We took her home after Bellewstown and she put her head in the pot and never stopped eating since. I fed her a 5:30 this morning and it was gone by 6.

"I had to come with another one anyway so I said I’d let her take her chance.

"She is in-foal to Fame And Glory and she is from a lucky family for us."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes