Billaway, one of three winners on this card last year who went on to score at the Cheltenham Festival, made heavy weather of recording his fourth win in the Naas Farm Machinery Hunters Chase for Patrick and Willie Mullins, just pulling out enough to deny a couple of spirited efforts from runner-up Le Malin and third-placed Grange Island.

Backers of the John Turner-owned 11-year-old would have had a major fright when the 2/7 favourite nearly unseated his rider at the ninth fence.

Last year’s St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase winner quickly managed to get back on an even keel, though, and eventually prevailed by half a length.

“He makes life hard for himself - as usual,” said the winning trainer.

“He got the job done, but that’s all. He needs to improve a bit, I think, to retain his championship at Cheltenham but we’ll hope for the best.”

Billaway was pushed out to 10/1 (from 6/1) for a Cheltenham Festival repeat next month.

TRAINER Andy Slattery could be set to saddle his first runner at the Cheltenham Festival after Sir Allen delivered a gutsy display to win the Jim Nolan Transport Supporting Kill GAA Rated Novice Hurdle - a race that has produced three of the last four winners of the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

A tightly-knit affair in which four of the six runners were previous winners, the four-year-old-only event looked to be getting away from Sir Allen after being headed by the Tom Mullins-trained Morning Star.

However, 7lb-claiming amateur Adam Ryan got an excellent tune out of the Eight Star Syndicate-owned winner to regain the lead and score by a length at odds of 100/30.

Slattery said: “We’ll see what the handicapper does, he could go to the Boodles. There’s also the Grade 3 Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle at Fairyhouse later this month. I think he needs another run for his jumping, even though he’s a good jumper.

“I’m happy with the way he came up the hill - he doesn’t stop and that’s a good trait.”

Samui makes immediate impact

ANOTHER four-year-old who created a decent impression on the card was winning newcomer Samui, who claimed the Christopher Dunne Memorial for Gordon Elliott, Jamie Codd and Allan Snow.

Bred on the same cross as St Mark’s Basilica - being by Siyouni and out of a Galileo mare - the 3/1 favourite was bought for 32,000gns as part of a Godolphin dispersal at Tattersalls last October.

Elliott said: “He’s a nice horse and there’s plenty of improvement in him too because he had a good blow after the race. We like him, he goes well.

“Jamie said he was green and it was only when he got there that the horse actually put his head out and galloped.”

ARTHUR Moore is looking forward to the rest of the spring with lovely prospect Hands Of Gold, who followed up his impressive Gowran win on Thyestes day by landing the €20,000 Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Novice Hurdle under Ricky Doyle.

J.P. McManus’ five-year-old proved his effectiveness on a sounder surface than he encountered last time and was able to give 21lb (when factoring in rider claims) and a three-and-a-half-length beating to the front-running Purse Price.

A tilt at the €75,000 final of this series at the Punchestown Festival is the primary target for Hands Of Gold, a strapping five-year-old gelding by Shantou.

Moore said of the winning 15/8 favourite: “He’s going the right way and I couldn’t be happier with him. I think he’s a lovely horse for the future. I have to say how grateful I am to J.P., like so many others. You’d have to call him the patron saint of jump racing in Ireland because we’d all be lost without him. It’s lovely to have a nice horse for him again.”

Tower on the up for Mangan

McManus made it back-to-back winners on the card when the imposing Spillane’s Tower, sent off 2/1, recorded his first success in the Cavan Developments Supporting Kill GAA Maiden Hurdle.

Trained by Jimmy Mangan and ridden to victory by Luke Dempsey, the five-year-old by Walk In The Park had shown plenty of potential on his previous start when runner-up to Imagine at Wexford in October.

Mangan said: “He’s a nice horse and will be better next year because he’s still a bit babyish. Hopefully he’s got a bright future. He’s a big frame of a horse and another summer’s grass will do him the world of good.”

A Naas treble for Ireland’s 19-time champion owner was brought up when Luimneach struck in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle under Aidan Kelly for trainer Des McDonogh.

It meant a second win in the space of three starts for the strong-travelling 8/1 shot, who ran out a convincing winner from the fast-finishing Falvio for Tony Martin (sent off 12/1 but backed from 50/1 to 11/2 in the early markets).

McDonogh said: “This is a day for old trainers! Give us the stuff and we might be able to do the job. He’s a beautiful, big horse. That will give [my wife] Helen a big gee up watching from home because she loved him since he first arrived.”