AS he has done on many occasions in the past, the ageless On The Fringe raised the roof as he defied his advancing years to make it back to back victories in the Listowel Supporters Club Hunters Chase.

Formerly a dual winner of the Foxhunters at both Cheltenham and Aintree’ the Enda Bolger stalwart is now 14 years of age but his appetite for competitive action burns as brightly as ever as he showed here.

Just as she was 12 months ago, Aine O’Connor was on board the 5/4 favourite who pounced after the final fence to strike the front and defeat All Hell Let Loose by two and a quarter lengths.

A decision on whether On The Fringe will continue on for another season will be left until after the summer.

Earlier, the McManus colours were carried to victory by another resurgent veteran in the Austin Leahy-trained Nearly Nama’d in the featured €40,000 John J. Galvin Handicap Chase.

The 11-year-old hadn’t won since December 2017 but had dropped a stone in the weights over the last year and a half and duly belied his position as the 18/1 outsider of the field.

This near two-and-a-half-mile event attracted a disappointing seven-runner turnout. and by the time the field faced up to the last two fences nothing was going better than the winner.

Luke Dempsey’s mount, who was wearing cheekpieces for the first time, led from the second last and defeated the favourite Lakemilan by a length and a quarter.

John McConnell is enjoying a good run with his dual purpose team and he registered a double which kicked off with Play The Game in the BetVictor-sponsored two miles handicap hurdle.

On his second run for the trainer and his first outing over hurdles for nine months, Play The Game (16/1) was giving jockey Mark Bolger his first winner since late August.

The Derek Kierans-owned six-year-old was going ominously well turning for home after initially dropping in and he asserted between the last two flights to beat Ingleby Mackenzie by just under four lengths. This was a third win from just 10 starts over hurdles for Play The Game.

“He hadn’t been setting the world alight at home but he’s done that well and he is a horse with plenty of ability,” stated McConnell. “I was thinking of Bellewstown before today but we’d have to look at Galway and that €80,000 handicap hurdle on the Friday night as I would imagine that he will struggle to get into the Galway Hurdle.”

Fine prospect

McConnell and owner Derek Kierans have a fine prospect on their hands in Lowtown Charlie (16/1) who made an impressive winning debut in the two and a half miles winners bumper.

A £70,000 purchase after finishing second in a Kirkistown point-to-point in early February, this five-year-old made short work of his rivals over the last half mile to score by an impressive 10 lengths.

This was a second racecourse winner for rider Tom Reilly whose last success came aboard a McConnell inmate at Downpatrick almost three years ago.

Mullins’ hot streak continues

WILLIE Mullins and Paul Townend’s superb run of form continued with a double which commenced with Scaglietti’s success in the BetVictor-sponsored mares’ maiden hurdle.

A winner of a bumper on her debut at last year’s Harvest Festival and a half-sister to her trainer’s high class dual purpose runner Sesenta, the 8/13 favourite turned in assured display on her first outing for 222 days.

Scaglietti, who also landed a flat maiden last October at Navan, won nicely and this should set her up for an industrious summer under both codes. The amateur handicap at Galway is a potential aim for this six-year-old who carries the colours of her breeder Michael Carroll.

The brace was brought up by the Sullivan Bloodstock-owned Fast Buck who was operating on a different level to his rivals in the colts and geldings maiden hurdle. This five-year-old was running for the first time since February and, with the first of his two runs in Ireland yielding a second to Fakir D’oudairies, he was returned at 30/100. Fast Buck enjoyed a most straight forward triumph for the front and looks the type to run up a sequence in novice hurdles this summer.

Davy Russell picked up a chance winner on Live Every Day in the 80-95 rated Mike Lawlee Memorial Handicap Hurdle. Russell stepped in for the ride after the gelding’s intended rider Ambrose McCurtin took a fall the previous afternoon and he produced the well backed 7/1 chance to get the better of Hussle Up by three-parts of a length. This was a first winner of the season for John Joe Walsh who trains the son of Ask for his breeder Richard Cavanagh.