Quevega leading lady again

Quevega took the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle for the second successive year and, following a series of upsets, got a lot of punters out of trouble by justifying 6/4 favouritism.

The six-year-old was produced in great shape by Willie Mullins after a 296 day lay-off, and once again showed a brilliant turn of foot under Ruby Walsh in the Grade 2 contest to record a third Irish-trained victory on the day.

The French-bred mare went to the front on the turn for home and soon put the race to bed. She got in slightly close to the final flight but it didn't stop her momentum, and she quickened right away up the hill to beat Carole's Legacy (20/1) by four and a half lengths, with Voler La Vedette (9/4) a further length and a quarter away in third.

Mullins said: "We asked her a big question in the middle of her last bit of work, which is possibly where the adverse rumours came from. But she'd done a fantastic bit last Tuesday, and our aim of having her ready for the day worked out beautifully.”

"She could run in the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown and I would not be against taking her back to France," he added.

Walsh said: "It's great to get a winner on the board and it's great to get it on the first day as it just takes the pressure off a bit.”

"She had an off-day on her last run but any horse can have an off-day and before that she had won here and then finished third behind Solwhit and Punjabi at Punchestown, which is fair form. She's a great mare and I love riding her."