WESTERNER Point got the better of Drumacoo in a thrilling finish to the Book Easter Festival Tickets Online At fairyhouse.ie Rated Chase.

Call It Magic took them along but Andrew Lynch was hard at work when Westerner Point and Drumacoo loomed up either side of him after the penultimate obstacle.

Drumacoo took a slight advantage approaching the last, but Westerner Point (6/1) jumped it quicker and although Drumacoo rallied really well, Westerner Point had his head down where it mattered and got the verdict following a photo-finish.

On his previous two starts, the winner finished eighth in the Becher Chase before disappointing in a Cork handicap hurdle, and his trainer Eoghan O'Grady said: "I think it took him a while to get over Liverpool. He didn't travel great over there and didn't eat or drink. We thought we had him right for Mallow but he just ran very flat. He came back to himself today.

"There is a race like this again in Thurles in two weeks' time and we might give him an entry in that and see how he is. We'll see after that, one step at a time.

"The jump at the last made a difference but he got a bit lazy on the run-in and ran on again when the other lad came to him."

Winning rider Phillip Enright then completed a double when taking the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Beginners Chase on the Robert Tyner-trained West Bridge (5/1).

FRANKEL

Gordon Elliott notched up a treble, with the first leg provided by the Frankel gelding Commentariolus (9/2) who made a winning National Hunt debut in the two-mile Fairyhouse.ie Maiden Hurdle.

The four-year-old showed very little when trained in France by Pascal Bary, and was snapped up for £30,000 to join Elliott.

Park Paddocks carted the field up to head clear leader Saga Altais, but a mistake two out allowed favourite Free Ranger to establish an advantage.

Keith Donoghue went in pursuit on Commentariolus, who made rapid headway to challenge before the last, and he stretched four and three-quarter lengths away.

Elliott said: "He won anyway so it's grand. He probably wants softer ground. We'll have a bit of fun with him and hopefully he'll win something else again. We'll try and find another little race for him somewhere, that probably wasn't the strongest race."

Frankel has had success over obstacles in Britain, with the former Dermot Weld inmate Solo Saxophone winning two for Dan Skelton, but this was his first National Hunt winner in Ireland.

TREBLE

Davy Russell partnered the other pair of the Elliott-trained winners.

Lackaneen Leader (2/1) justified favouritism with a three-quarter-length defeat of the Willie Mulins-traines Lareena in the Fairyhouse Easter Festival 1st-3rd April Mares Maiden Hurdle, the pair finishing 13 lengths clear of the rest.

Then Graineyhill was a winning 9/4 favourite in the Your Clubs Fundraiser At Fairyhouse, Enquire Today Handicap Hurdle.

Chesterfield King stayed on well to break his duck in the Follow Fairyhouse On Twitter Rated Novice Hurdle.

Monotype and Randalls Ur Poet were always in the front rank and appeared to have it between them at the last, with Randalls Ur Poet landing running.

Chesterfield King wasn't exactly fluent at the obstacle but Luke Dempsey gave the 11/2 shot a chance to regain his momentum and he finished over the top of Randalls Ur Poet to prevail by a neck.

Trainer Philip Dempsey said: "That was lovely. We were lucky as he nearly threw it away at the second-last and the last. At the second-last he galloped out through it and must have lost five or six lengths.

"He's a grand little horse, he's not over-big. He's out of a full-sister to Mr Diablo.

"His jumping has a bit to go but he'll learn from that. I was surprised and he battled well. At the second-last I thought he was beat and then at the last he landed in a heap as well.

"Maybe the second horse was pulling up a bit too but you'd have to be very happy with his attitude.

"He made a bad mistake at the last in heavy ground the last day and maybe he's a horse that could be better on better ground, I'm not sure. We'll look for something similar now."

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