LATE defections on account of the ground reduced the Grade 1 Unibet Irish Gold Cup from a field of 10 to a field of four, and lessened its significance in the process. But you could not hope for a more thrilling finish as Bellshill got the verdict in a head-bobber from Road To Respect.

The overall time was nothing special, with sectionals showing that it had been a steady pace before a quite fast finish, and first two get timefigures of just 126.