On The Sod made it three wins from three starts on Saturday afternoon at Farmaclaffley, providing David Christie with a double on the card.
A winner of a five-year-old adjacent maiden at Dromahane back in 2018 for handler Con McSweeney, the son of Ask changed hands in the interim to Derrylin-based handler, David Christie.
He had a layoff of 11 months following his initial success at Dromahane, before he returned to action at Kirkistown in November 2019, where he got the better of Caroline McCaldin's Samurai Cracker by a short head in what was a gruelling finish on that occasion.
Sunday afternoon saw the eight-year-old step into winner-of-two company in a field of seven runners.
Making almost virtually all from the drop of the flag, Christie's gelding extended his advantage from the back of the last before going on to score by a very comfortable four lengths over the Daryl Deacon-trained Call It Time, with Duty Calls a further three-and-a-half lengths back in third spot.
"He is very difficult to train, but he is as tough a horse as you could ever have," said his handler, David Christie following the success.
"He gallops and stays and is as strong as an ox. This ground and track is just made for him.
"The way he works I never imagined we could get him going right handed, but there are so few tracks for him that are left handed, I thought I might get away with it here.
"Barry (O’Neill) was superb on him and he said he just gave him a squeeze up the straight and he couldn’t get him pulled up, he could have done another circuit.
"That is how strong he is, he doesn’t quicken he is just relentless.
"It is great for the owners, it is their first horse with me and they have won two races now, and we will go for another one of these winner races on soft ground," said Christie.
"We won’t be going to quick ground at the end of the season, but if there was a hunter chase that came up left handed, we will go for that, but we have to be careful as not everywhere will suit him.”
