The Claytonhotelgalway.ie 3-y-o Handicap went to Talking Tough (11/2) in the hands of Billy Lee.

The Tough Is Nails gelding is thriving on racing, having his third run in six days after unplaced efforts at Naas and Gowran. He had won for the first time at Sligo earlier in the month.

He was well-fancied here, having been backed from 14/1 this morning and from 15/2 into 11/2 closer to the off.

They went hard up front here, and Billy Lee sat mid-division before making his move off the bend. His mount relished the hill and held the staying-on Soaring Monarch by three quarters of a length, as the first two finished well clear of the rest. Sister Eliza kept on from the back for third, ahead of the front-running 7/2 favourite Kokura in fourth.

Winning trainer Michael Mulvany, who won this race in 2018 with Premier League, said: “Billy (Lee) said they went good and hard early on and when he hit the hill, the rising ground helped him.

"He did the same at Sligo when he finished well and that is the secret to him.

"We are giving him plenty of racing but he is still a little ball of a horse and saves a little bit for himself all the time.

"We'll have to think about running him again later in the week with him.

"It's a different feeling to have a winner tonight - normally there'd be an army load of us who'd come up for the week and would give it welly; some are still coming (to Galway) but they're not here and can't really enjoy it."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes