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Michael Graham

Michael Graham

Kiely delighted to score in Tramore with Inchiquin Star

Fri 18th Aug 2023, 18:53

Inchiquin Star, left, gets the better of First DareInchiquin Star, left, gets the better of First Dare
© Photo Healy Racing

A nimble, swift jump at the last enabled Inchiquin Star to run down First Dare in the Tom Murphy Mercedes Benz Mares Handicap Hurdle.

First Dare jumped it in the lead but Inchiquin Star landed full of running and collared her in the closing stages.

She kept on best to win by three-parts of a length at 9/1 from the 5/1 runner-up. Costanuci (7/2) was four and a-half lengths back in third.

Handler Paul Kiely said: "We focus mostly on point-to-pointers but we have a handful for the track. This is my first winner at Tramore and it's nice to get one at my local track. 

"She was probably unlucky the last day when she made a bad mistake at the third last. I felt like it cost her, it knocked the wind out of her at the wrong time.

"She had a couple of nice runs and was unlucky at Tipperary where she ran into a good horse. Hopefully she will pick up another one. 

"She is not very big and I was worried about the ground when they changed it to soft. Coming here I was fairly confident but when the ground changed it was putting me off a bit. She is gutsy though.

"She is owned by Sean Harnedy, his son Seamus plays senior hurling for Cork. Sean is a great supporter of the yard. He had horse (Rose Mahler) last year who was placed a few times before she was killed at Wexford. That's the joys of it.

"She is in again on Sunday, but we will see how she is." 

Additional reporting by Donal Murphy

About Michael Graham
Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.