Empire strikes back in dead-heat thriller

An exciting dead-heat in the opening Johnnys Restaurant & Foodmarket Watergrasshill four-year-old maiden proved the highight of an intriguing card.

The Paul Power-trained and ridden newcomer Empire Burleque always took the eye in running and made smooth progress from the third-last to lead at the penultimate fence.

But Batt O’Connell’s Truckers Lodge, who had finished a fine third on his only previous start at this venue in May, stayed on strongly in the dying strides under Johnny Hurley to force a dead-heat.