Long Branch stepped forward from his debut performance at Loughanmore last month when winning his maiden at Tralee on Saturday. This son of Idaho showed a willing attitude when strongly pressed at the final fence by the eventual runner-up. A quicker jump at the final fence secured his victory and he battled admirably all the way to line deny Arslan by a length. This nicely bred type appears to possess a nice blend of both speed and stamina which should aide him in his career under rules. He is out of unraced own sister to Tom George’s Grade 1 winning chaser Nacarat, and it is also worth noting that this race was won in a good time, seven seconds faster than the average on the day.