Royal Eagle winning off the front© Photo Healy Racing
Royal Eagle fit from a novice hurdle victory at the Galway Festival, was strong over the 1m4f on offer in the Perennial Freight Handicap at Tramore.
When she was last seen in this discipline, she was pipped by a short head over this trip on the Polytrack in Dundalk.
Sam Ewing pushed her along from her draw in stall 10 to soon lead. She made the rest and began to crank the pressure up on the field racing to the final furlong.
The 7/2 joint favourite stuck to the inner rail and stayed on gun-barrel straight to close the race out by a length and a quarter from joint favourite Knightlaila who kept on late. Star Image was the same distance back in third at 13/2.
Jockey Ewing, who rode a double on the card, said: "I'm very grateful to Peter (Fahey, trainer of Kojin in race two) and Gordon (Elliott). It's nice to ride a winner for the owners who are good friends of my auld lad.
"I wanted to be positive and handy, but I wasn't saying that I was going to make it going out there. There was no-one taking me on and I know she says well, so she got a nice lead in front and kicked away from them nicely.
"She is very versatile and was good in Galway, she is a very slick jumper and hopefully there will be a bit more to come under both codes. Tracks like this and Galway seems to suit her, she likes tight tracks so hopefully there will be a few more wins in her."
Elliott had a treble at Perth today, so this gave him an across-the-card four-timer.
Additional reporting by Donal Murphy
