I'm Sheikra, right, wins a photo finish at Naas© Photo Healy Racing
The two money horses fought out the finish to the seven furlong fillies and mares three-year-old maiden at Naas, where Rory Cleary prevailed on I’m Sheikra by a nose in a photo finish.
The daughter of Captain Rio, trained by Brendan Duke, fought a battle with the Joseph O’Brien-ridden Reaching in the final half furlong and won a head-bobber on the rail at odds of 8/1, having been backed in from 16/1 in places in the morning.
The runner-up, trained by Joseph’s father Aidan O’Brien, saw sustained market support at the track, backed at all rates from 9/4 to 6/4 favouritism.
Dermot Weld’s Sparkling View was prominent up to the last half furlong, but couldn’t go with the front two and finished third of the nine runners at 9/2, beaten a further length and a quarter.
“This is a great habit. To have three winners in a week is brilliant as we only have 10 horses on the go. I really liked this filly. A really good man bred her – John Malone,” delighted trainer Brendan Duke said.
“She had to be lucky. We started training her last year, but she was telling me she wasn’t really up to it so we stopped and turned her away.
“I had agreed to sell her to a group of owners in Holy Week. The deal was for little money, but they didn’t come up with the cash.
“She is owned by the nearby Friends Syndicate, but one is on holidays and couldn’t get back in time to sign the papers so she ran in my name but their colours.
“She’s a filly that will get black type. Rory was under instructions to give her two behind the saddle and no more even if it lost her the race.
“Mentally she’ll improve for the run, but she wouldn’t improve much fitness-wise.”
Joseph O'Brien put up a pound overweight on the runner-up at 9-1. Guess Who was withdrawn after refusing to load the stalls.
Michael Graham
