Phillip Enright conjured up an incredible finish from Surf Instructor to land Limerick's novice chase.

The pair looked beaten when two lengths behind front-running Balbir Du Mathan jumping the last.

Surf Instructor made a bad blunder at that obstacle and Enright was almost unseated and lost his irons.

He manged to get back on an even keel and urged Surf Instructor along, without his irons, to overtake an emptying Balbir Du Mathan in the closing stages and land a gamble.

Henry de Bromhead's Surf Instructor got up by half a length from Ballela Boy who had a scent of victory in his nostrils on the run-in, as he also powered past Balbir Du Mathan on the outer.

The winner went off at 9/2 having been 12/1 this morning while Ballela Boy was an 8/1 chance. Balbir Du Mathan, the 7/4 favourite, had to settle for third.

Take a bow @ptenright! To not only stay aboard Surf Instructor but to also win at @LimerickRaces: pic.twitter.com/xCfieXA6RQ

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 28, 2017

Phillip Enright said: "He got close to a couple of fences up the back but jumped very well throughout. He winged the second last and I thought I had a chance going to the last but he kind of banked the last for some strange reason. Thankfully someone was looking down on me and pushed me back into the saddle.

"He really got going in the last 100 yards and it wasn't until his mistake at the last that he really came alive. It happened that quick I didn't know what happened but I was very close to being gone; if he went left or right I'd have been on the ground but thankfully we had luck on our side.

"It was unfortunate what happened Henry's other horse (ill-fated Montana Belle but we'll take this bit of luck."

de Bromhead also ran Montana Belle who broke down after the fifth fence.

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes