Ruby Walsh shone in the saddle as Call Me Bubbles got up to beat Shamiran in the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle, the only jumps race on the card at Galway.
Only fifth jumping the last, Walsh got a great tune out of the Willie Mullins-trained 7-2 favourite, switching his whip and galvanising the four-year-old to get the better of Shamiran by half a length, winning a shade cosily in the end.
Mullins said: “That was a vintage ride from Ruby. Things didn’t go according to plan and I’d say in the end we were on Plan D or Plan E.
“The plan was to be in the first six or seven, but in the end he seemed to appreciate coming from behind when he finally got into a rhythm.
“Obviously he likes a nice dig in the ground and he’ll continue to mix it in staying handicaps on the Flat and over hurdles.”