Leopardstown Pierse Hurdle:Traditional rivalries were put aside at Leopardstown yesterday as Cork and Kerry combined for a memorable Pierse Hurdle success with the 16 to 1 winner Spring The Que.

Kinsale-based Robert Tyner has been a trainer to reckon with in Leopardstown's big-money handicaps for some years now but for Tralee-born jockey Philip Enright, Spring The Que was an intoxicating first trip to jump racing's big time.

The 19-year-old claimer had ridden only eight winners in his career up to yesterday but there was nothing inexperienced about the way he guided Spring The Que through the 30-runner maze to secure a two-and-a-half-length defeat of the topweight Mister Hight with Tony McCoy's mount New Field in third and Maralan in fourth.

Even a diversion away from the final hurdle, due to a fatal fall for Breathing Fire at the first flight, couldn't shake Enright who only joined Tyner last August.

"I'm really grateful to Robert and his wife, Mary, for standing by me because we knew this horse had a big chance," said Enright. "He travelled brilliant the whole way and when Well Mounted fell in front of me at the third, my fellah was very clever to dodge him."

An early exit would have been cruel luck for Tyner who had been plotting a route to the Pierse for Spring The Que since two and a half years previously.

Since the shrewd trainer had sent out Camden Tanner to be placed in the 2003 Pierse, and whose previous Leopardstown victories included a pair of Paddy Power wins with Call Me Dara and I Can Imagine, it was surprising to see some comparatively generous odds floating about for Spring The Que.

"I was preparing him for this race last year but he hurt his back. Then we were thinking of novice chasing but he took his time coming to hand so we ran him in a hurdle at Punchestown in December where he ran a cracker behind View Mount Prince. We were 15lb better off with him today and I think some people must have switched off their calculators. We knew he had a big chance," grinned Tyner.

View Mount Prince was one of three 8 to 1 co-favourites but was never seen with a chance and after Woodhouse cried enough after the second last, it was a relatively straight-forward task for Spring The Que to reward his trainer's patience.

"I always thought he was ideal horse for this race as he travels so well," Tyner added. "I don't know about plans now. This was the plan, and has been for the last two and a half years."

There was some cross-country input in the victory as the 37-member Gaelforce syndicate were represented by Gorey-based Jimmy Howard.

However, yesterday's success in the first big pot of 2007 is yet another major winner for West Cork where the champion chaser Newmill is also based. With that in mind, it was not hard to see through Tyner's supposed vagueness about Spring The Que's next target.

"The County Hurdle at Cheltenham is usually the next step after this," he smiled. "I'll have to keep an eye on what the big boys are doing." After yesterday, they'll probably be keeping an eye on him too!