The thin end of a cigarette paper was all that separated Rainbow Warrior and Dabtara at the end of last night's Heineken Handicap, but that crucial end went in Rainbow Warrior's favour.

Only six horses took part but at the two-furlong pole it was hard to totally dismiss any of them. Dabtara was still forcing the pace and beat off the favourite, Look West, until Pat Smullen forced the winner up to join issue. From then on it was a battle of attrition.

Red Piper got going too late to challenge the pair and at the line it was on the nod.

"I'd take a dead heat," said Dabtara's trainer, Michael Grassick, when the judge called for a print. Grassick and Rainbow Warrior's trainer Frances Crowley had to endure a five-minute wait for the result and Grassick's wish wasn't granted.

"I had been thinking about running him in a maiden hurdle at Wexford but I might have to think again now. Galway is a possible," said Crowley.

Dabtara was denied a farewell victory in the last stride. She is in foal to Marju and this was her last race.

Lanturn was an exceptionally easy winner of the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle, justifying his 4 to 7 favouritism with little more than an exercise canter under Paul Hourigan.

"The further he goes, the better he is. He loves the ground and will go to Galway for another long distance handicap," said Lanturn's trainer Pat Hughes.

It was a memorable evening for apprentice Wayne Lordan. The 16-year-old from Crossbarry, Co. Cork, had his first winner from 18 rides when Ethbaat held off Bellfan to win the O'Shea Handicap.

The evening finished with the French import The Card King, fifth to the French Derby runner up Croco Rouge last year when trained by Andre Fabre, holding off the newcomer Goldnecu, with Its Time For A Win only third.