Report from Naas:Hairy Molly booked his ticket for a return visit to the Cheltenham Festival with a workmanlike success in the Barrettstown Maiden Hurdle at Naas yesterday.

Last year's Weatherbys Champion Bumper hero was getting off the mark over timber at the second time of asking in the two-mile-three-furlong contest, although Barry Geraghty had to give him one or two reminders before he took control of the race and won by by three lengths from 50 to 1 chance Knowledge Box.

Winning trainer Joe Crowley said of the 8 to 13 chance: "He didn't jump as well as you'd like early on, but they were probably going too slow. You couldn't judge anything on that (testing) ground.

"The owners are anxious to go to Cheltenham. He's entered in the Ballymore Properties and the Brit Insurance and it's more than likely he'll go for the Brit Insurance, but we'll have to talk it over."

Stan James cut the seven-year-old to 20 to 1 from 25s for the Ballymore Properties and introduced him at 14 to 1 for the Brit Insurance, while Cashmans quote him as 6 to 1 third-favourite behind Wichita Lineman and Flight Leader for the latter, which is run over three miles.

Don't Be Bitin also did favourite-backers no harm at all as he justified odds of 10 to 11 in the €20,000 BBA Ireland Limited Opera Hat Novice Chase.

Eoin Griffin's charge raced wide throughout under Davy Russell and was travelling well in the slipstream of Dunguaire Lad turning for home.

The pair jumped the last couple of fences more or less upsides and the market leader had to battle hard after the last to hold the renewed challenge of the long-time leader by a length and a half.

Griffin said of the former smart hurdler: "I wasn't very confident today as he doesn't seem to be the same horse as he was last year.

"He is probably only starting to come to himself now. He just wasn't the same horse for some reason.

"We'll try to find something similar for him, but he is definitely better going right-handed and it was the plan to race wide. We thought it might just help him."

Russell then doubled-up an hour later when Carthalawn (4 to 1) ran out a most impressive winner of the €17,500 Naas Handicap Chase.

The Charles Byrnes-trained six-year-old was going best of all from some way out and readily scooted clear after the last to beat Lakil Princess by nine lengths.

"Davy gave him a great ride. He jumped really well for him and he had him switched off completely," said Byrnes.

"He had a nice weight today, which was also a help. He's only a small horse and wants to be carrying less than 11st.

"He's bound to go up for the win, but I'm hoping to find a 0-140 at two miles for him, and there might be a race at Fairyhouse's Easter meeting that might suit.

"But he'd be too lowly rated for anything at Cheltenham."

Raven's Run (12 to 1) emerged as a possible contender for this year's renewal of the Cheltenham bumper when running away with the Thoroughbred County Naas (Pro-Am) Flat Race.

The Michael Cunningham-trained five-year-old scored by eight lengths from even-money favourite Mick The Man.

"The last day at Gowran they went no pace, so the instructions were to be not afraid to make it a proper test, he has won a point-to-point so we had no worries about him staying," Cunningham explained.

"I'd say that's his ground. The owner is keen to run at Cheltenham in the bumper, but if the ground was in any way fast we would not want to run. We'll wait and see.

"He's very big and should be much better in a year's time, he's a nice jumping prospect."

Cashmans go 20 to 1 about his chance at the Festival.