The stewards looked at an incident in the home straight in the concluding bumper at Kilbeggan where it appeared the winner Moorhill Lad carried runner-up The Buddy Pass wide, but no alterations were made.

There was two lengths between them at the finish with Moorhill Lad and Noel McParlan winning at 10/3. He had improved on each of his three previous runs and kept that trait going by winning for the first time.

Cathal McGovern owns the horse trained by John Larkin and he said: “I bought the horse last August in Tattersalls for 2,000 euro. The vets knocked him on his wind, but we took a chance. We didn’t operate on it.

“I was talking to John before racing and he said if he won today he’d get a break and might go hurdling.” Not For Changing completed the placings in third at 11/1. Casablanca Lily for Charlie Swan and Nina Carberry went off 3/1 favourite, but finished fourth.

(on course reporting by Thomas Weekes)