< Al Eile is set for another trip to Merseyside after the three-times Aintree Hurdle winner made a triumphant return on the level at Dundalk & ndash; the first meeting of the Irish Flat season.

John Queally's nine-year-old has not been seen since his most recent triumph in Liverpool 364 days ago but fairly hacked up under Fran Berry in the Dundalk On-Course Bookmakers Race.

"I'm very relieved," admitted Queally.

"The horse had a bit of soreness in a suspensory ligament and we've had to bring him back gradually.

"He seemed to enjoy it out there, though, and the plan is to go straight to Aintree.

"The horse runs well fresh but we'll see how he is in the morning."

Champion jockey Pat Smullen carried on from where he left off last season when Bobs Pride won the first race of the new campaign.

Always travelling kindly for Smullen, Dermot Weld's seven-year-old defied top weight with a redoubtable display in the Blockbuster Environmental Services Ltd Handicap.

The 6-1 shot held a narrow advantage two furlongs out but exerted supreme authority inside the last, eventually scoring by a length and a quarter from Cochlear

Smullen said: "It's always nice to get one on the board early and there's no better than Bob's Pride to do so.

"When he's fresh, he's very dangerous."

The evening began with three bumpers, the first going to Nina Carberry on the Eoin Griffin-trained Baracas (4/1), who led over a furlong out and ran on strongly to score by three-quarters of a length.

The second looked to have been won by Patrick Mullins after a well-timed challenge on Lady Chimera but JP Magnier conjured a renewed effort from Charlie Swan's Ella Watson (9-2), who got back up to win by a short head.

The most impressive of the three winners was the Arthur Moore-trained Fraudster (16-1), who careered clear in the final furlong to take the third race by five lengths under Niall Kelly.

Moore and Berry later doubled up on the card with Takendo in the mile-and-a-half handicap.

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