'It's grand to come over here' - JJ Slevin warms up for big Saturday ride with victory on Lily Du Berlais in feature

Stuart Crawford became the first Irish trainer to strike in Britain in the new season when Lily Du Berlais landed the rescheduled Herring Queen Series Final Mares' Handicap Hurdle under JJ Slevin.

Simon Munir and Isaac Souede's eight-year-old justified 9-2 favouritism when running down Politacus in the closing stages of the £50,000 contest. Brucio, for the same connections, finished third.

Victory was a boost for Slevin as he bids to plunder another big British prize on Saturday with Lark In The Mornin, who is short as 7-4 for the Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock. The Joseph O'Brien-trained runner has not been seen since winning the Boodles at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Slevin, riding his first Kelso winner at the fifth attempt, told Racing TV: "It's grand to come over here. She's been a good mare all the way along – she won a Grade 2 bumper and she's got a right good page. She'll be a nice mare for the breeding shed one day but there's plenty of fun to be had before then."

The race was one of two rescheduled for this fixture after Kelso's Racing Post Go North Finals card in April was cancelled, the other being the bumper worth £40,000, which went to Dedicated Hero.

The five-year-old stayed on powerfully to record a double for Sandy Thomson and Ryan Mania, the pair earlier striking with Faithfulflyer in the 2m5f handicap hurdle.

Mania said: "He's a proper horse. When I rode him last time it was like I did everything I could to get him beat and he still pulled it out of the fire and won nicely. It's great to come and do that under penalty on ground he probably didn't love."

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