Arthur Moore and Conor O'Dwyer combined to win the first three races with smart young horses yesterday, but it was the old stager Dorans Pride who warmed the cockles of the Navan crowd after a winning display of raw courage.

Dorans Pride's current, worrying hesitancy over fences manifested itself over the smaller obstacles of the Proudstown Hurdle. In addition, he was giving two stone to the pacesetting Gentle Mossy, but despite being under pressure before the straight, the top chaser overcame all to win going away.

No one was more impressed than Dorans Pride's trainer, Michael Hourigan, who said: "He proved the heart is still there. Maybe he is not jumping as well as he should but he is still a great horse who has been a great servant to me, the yard and even to Ireland."

Hourigan considered yesterday to be the perfect reply to those he perceives as knockers of his stable star, but he admitted Dorans Pride's jumping worries him, and the horse will be entered in Cheltenham's Stayers' Hurdle, a race he won in 1995.

"Something is catching him when he jumps fences and it would be such a help if he could talk and tell us what is hurting him. He should be letting fly at his fences and he isn't. But today proved he still has the same appetite for galloping," Hourigan added.

That appetite has taken the 11-year-old to 26 wins in 45 starts and prize money of just over £561,000. Hourigan describes the Hennessy Gold Cup on February 6th as an option, but a possible new tack for the old horse was signalled with Hourigan also eyeing a hurdle race at Naas at the end of this month.

The trainer was insistent on one thing, however: and said: "I've no doubt the horse can win more flat races, but he won't be dragged through the dirt and he won't be made into a bad horse."

The signal that it was going to be a good day for the Moore team came in the first when Zourito looked second best to the favourite, Valley Erne, in the beginners' chase, only for Valley Erne to fall at the second last.

"It looked like we were beaten, but jumping is the name of the game," Moore said.

But there was no questioning the authority of Phariwarmer's easy win in the maiden hurdle, and even less of the 2 to 5 Well Ridden in the novice hurdle.

With Sausalito Bay a non-runner, Well Ridden cruised home by 15 lengths to compensate owner Frank Clarke for the weekend loss of his English-based chaser Liver Bird.

Amateur jockey Alan Fleming received a five-day ban for careless riding after his mount, Hat Or Halo, the favourite for the bumper, was demoted from first place to second by the stewards.

Have At It, beaten a neck, was promoted to first place to continue trainer Pat Hughes's sparkling recent run.