Shopping Around leads Pretty Fantasy over the last© Photo Healy Racing
Jamie Codd picked up a winning spare ride as Shopping Around held on in an exciting finish to the Cloneen Mares Handicap Hurdle at Clonmel.
Codd took over from Keith Donoghue (unwell) in the saddle and gave the Jim Dreaper-trained mare a patient ride, making headway between horses to lead early in the straight.
The 7/1 chance kept on well under pressure for Codd on the run-in and had a neck to spare over Pretty Fantasy at the line.
Midland Millie finished best of all and was just a short-head further back in third.
Dreaper’s son and assistant Tom said, "She is a lovely filly, won her point to point and will go chasing sooner rather than later. She did well to win a hurdle race at all and has great owners and Mr Skelly was 80 last week.
"She can go up in trip and over a fence - we'd slow down Frankel if we got a hold of him so she'll be going further and jumping bigger. She is a lovely mare for lovely people.
"I hope Jamie never retires, he was brilliant on her and rode her twice in her point to points and won on his second ride on her."
Explaining Keith Donoghue's absence, Dreaper added, "He was in our place on Monday morning and said he never felt worse in his life. He said his weight is great at the moment but rang me yesterday to say he was struggling."
(TW & AM)
