HERCULE Du Seuil (2/5) easily justified favouritism when making all the running to land the featured Grade 3 Ballymore Group Irish EBF Kilbegnet Novice Chase at Roscommon on Monday.

The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old carried the colours of J.P. McManus to an impressive 12-length win under jockey Mark Walsh.

The owner’s racing manager Frank Berry said afterwards: “That was lovely. He jumped well, settled away and handled the ground. It’s loose and he got through it. We’ll see what happens when the better ones come out but he’s going the right way and he’s had a good season so far.

“We’ll see what Willie wants to do with him. It’s a lovely race to find for him here and a flat track suits him well. You couldn’t have asked for better.”

That win was completing a double on the card for Walsh and McManus, following the earlier success of Park Of Kings in the Conor Cassidy Cars Handicap Hurdle.

After the 7/2 joint-favourite stayed on to record a comfortable two-and-three-quarter-length victory, trainer Paul Nolan reported: “He’s been very disappointing. He’s had a few issues with his wind but he never made a sound racing.

“At home we felt he might just need a tongue-tie on him and it made the difference. He did it nicely but on the strength of his bumper form he’d want to. We were fierce disappointed with him and at least he’s won one.”

MENINDEE won her fifth race in the colours of David A. Kells, when staying on best to take the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Handicap Chase by two and a quarter lengths.

David Christie junior said of his father’s 9/2 winner: “She’s a tough mare and she’s fit as she’s been running all summer. The ground was the big worry today, she is tongue-tied, but Darragh said she really toughed it out. He was good and positive and let her get into a rhythm, which is very important for her breathing.

“Whenever they turned into the straight it was going to take a very tough one to pass her. The guys bred her and they deserve that. They’ve stuck by her and she’s been fantastic for them.

“The end goal is probably to breed off her, we’re always looking at blacktype. If the ground came up nice again we might even look at Cheltenham in November, there might be something there for her.”

Sam Curling got on the scoresheet with 9/4 favourite Iriskana who took the Thomas A. Murray Bar Roscommon Mares Maiden Hurdle by seven and a half-lengths from Lucky Viv.

“She was entitled to do that off her last few runs. It’s unfortunate for Cian (Quirke), who got hurt on Saturday at Listowel but he’ll be back”, said Curling, who trains the mare for Michael Fennessy jr. “She’s a nice mare, stays well and she’ll probably stay going for another while.

“She liked the ground and I’m delighted with her. I’d say the track suited her today, the track last time didn’t really suit as she likes to get into a rhythm and she stayed at it well.”

Showman

Having finished fourth at Listowel on Saturday, Showman made a quick reappearance to win the opening Boyle Maiden Hurdle at 12/1.

The Peter Fahey-trained gelding led close home to beat Yeats Star by a neck.

“He had a nice run over the winter at Punchestown for Keith Donoghue and a lovely run the last day,” said Fahey. “I suppose after his last run he had a good chance here in a non-winners’ race. It’s great for Chris Blair, a new owner to the yard, and for Eamonn (Fitzgerald) who has been lucky for us.

“He’s a tough horse but he actually lost a bit of interest, he was showing no spark at all on his runs on the flat and the jumping has really helped him. He’ll be a nice horse to tip away with.”

ANDREW Slattery introduced a smart newcomer in the form of winning debutant Fleur In The Park in the concluding Roscommon On-Course Vets Flat Race.

The well backed 13/8 favourite led inside the final furlong to beat Prove Yourself by a length and a quarter. Slattery said: “He’s very nice. He’s only about 80% fit, he was ready for a schooling bumper and we said we’d run him here today on a bit of nicer ground rather than run him around in a schooling bumper.

“We think a good bit of him and think he could be a Leopardstown type of horse. There is a lot to come from that. He said he blew up turning in, we knew he’d do that but I just thought he had enough class to get him through today.

“It’s great for Padraig and Margaret O’Rourke. They had a winner (Smooth Tom) on Saturday as well.”

Fill The Tank continued the good recent run of trainer Aengus King when keeping on best to win the Class Glass Handicap Hurdle by a neck from favourite Read To Return.

The 5/2 chance is also owned by King, who said: “He’s had a couple of issues over the last year and a half. As you can see we didn’t run him for a long time. I thought we ran him a bit too early here last time after he had won in Limerick so we gave him a month off this time.

“We’re doing a lot of flat work with him as he has an issue with his back. I told Mark (McDonagh) to be there or thereabouts, to stay out on the better ground and up with the pace.

“He looks clumsy but he has a bit of toe. It’ll be a month at least before he runs again.”