Moulin A Vent proved too strong for his opponents in the Meath Farm Machinery Hurdle at Navan on Saturday.

Noel Meade's grey was highly tried last season and took a drop in grade for his reappearance, although he had to concede weight to three race-fit rivals.

High Nellie led, jumping right at times, with her better-fancied stable companion Jaime Sommers making her run on the turn for home.

Moulin A Vent was travelling powerfully between the pair, though, and although High Nellie carried him slightly right two out, he was in front by the last and stayed on to beat High Nellie by eight lengths as the 4/9 favourite.

Meade said: "He jumped terrible. I don't know what it is because he jumps fences well and schooled well Wednesday morning.

"He hasn't done much work and Sean (Flanagan) said he got quite tired but I would have expected that.

"That's it with hurdles now and he'll run in a beginners chase in the next month.

"I think he's very good and to be able to jump like that around Navan and still win, then he has to be fairly good. He's such an athletic horse, you would think he would jump for joy."

IMPRESSIVE

Mengli Khan produced an impressive performance to make a successful return to action in the opening At The Races Maiden Hurdle.

Good on the Flat for Hugo Palmer, the four-year-old got closest to the smart Ex Patriot on his jumping bow and was then rested after coming up short in a Fairyhouse Grade 3 in February.

The 6/5 favourite didn't appear to fully settle but tracked the pacesetters until Jack Kennedy let out an inch of rein. The response was instant and he put matters to bed with a turn of foot that carried him six lengths clear of Edelpour.

Trainer Gordon Elliott said: "He did it the hard way and they didn't go fast enough and he was fresh enough.

"He jumped better than he did last year but he was hard enough on himself, and I was happy the way he galloped to the line.

"With the size of him, I always felt he would be a better horse this year."

Rachael Blackmore and Ellmarie Holden teamed up to win the beginners chase with Call The Taxie (2/1), while Hurricane Darwin (8/1) landed the feature handicap chase for Barry Connell, Alan Fleming and Denis O'Regan.

Kilkeaskins First backed up his recent Kilbeggan success in the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice Irish EBF Handicap Hurdle.

The 7/1 chance quickened away between the final couple of flights and kept going to account for Fiesole by five lengths.

Having hit the front at the penultimate obstacle in the Sequence Events Handicap Hurdle, Let's Twist Again looked beaten when headed by Wee Small Hours at the last.

Mark Walsh conjured another effort out of the Joseph O'Brien-trained 9/1 shot, though, and he got back up by half a length.

Nina Carberry was hoping to make it three wins in three days in the concluding bumper but she had to settle for third spot on Gordon Elliott's 11/8 favourite Moonlight Escape.

The race was won by the Paul Flynn-trained newcomer Sally Park (7/1), the six-year-old rallying after being headed to score narrowly.

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