In-form Tawaazon made it four wins in six starts since joining James McAuley when taking the apprentice sprint handicap.

Always close up, the 9/2 favourite pulled his way to the front before halfway and had only Queen's Pardon to worry about when beginning the final climb up the hill. That one tried her best but Tawaazon fended her off by three parts of a length with a further gap of six lengths back to Sin E Shekells in third.

McAuley said: "He goes well, he's just a good horse. He got bogged down in the Curragh last week (when sixth) and ran into a bit of traffic and then that was it.

"To be honest, if it was that ground at declarations I wouldn't have bothered declaring him.

"Jamie just let him roll on and didn't break his stride.

"I have to give Kevin O'Ryan credit, there wasn't many apprentices left by the time that we decided that we were going to declare him. He said if I gave Jamie the ride on Tawaazon, he would go here. He was supposed to go to Limerick."

Quotes from Michael Graham