Flying Fairies is pushed out by Gary Carroll to beat Glamorous Approach© Photo Healy Racing
John Oxx claimed the Listed Lenebane Stakes for the sixth time in the last ten years, as his Flying Fairies stayed on best under Gary Carroll.
Carroll was completing a double on the card, having won the second on Burgundy Boy
The successful daughter of Holy Roman Emperor won a Listed contest at Leopardstown last October when trained by Joe Murphy, with her best effort so far this season coming at Naas in March, when third in a Group 3 contest.
She was a close fourth on her most recent start at Cork, and went off a 14/1 chance this evening in the colours of owner Anne Marshall.
Settled in mid-division, she was caught for room from the two furlong pole, but got the gap she needed inside the final furlong.
She was then ridden and quickened nicely, hitting the front inside the final 150 yards, before going on to score by a length and a quarter. Glamorous Approach (4/1), who led for much of the contest, couldn't fend off the winner in the closing stages, and she had to settle for second under Kevin Manning for Jim Bolger. Savannah Storm (6s to 9/2 on-course), was a further half a length back in third for Colin Keane and Ger Lyons. Exemplar who was as short as 6/4 in early shows, went off the 11/4 favourite, and he finished a disappointing sixth for Aidan and Donnacha O'Brien.
John Oxx said afterwards: "It's been a lucky race for me. I thought two furlongs out that our luck might me out as she was on the inside obviously going very well but with nowhere to go. But when the gap came she flew through it.
"She just likes a little ease in the ground. She won for Joe (Murphy) last year on good to firm, and she ran very well in the Group 3 in Cork the other day when it was more firm than good.
"I just thought that when she hit a race with softer ground that she might be able to win another race like this. We'll keep running her in those kind of races and maybe get a place in a Group 3.
"Who knows when the ground is soft she may run above herself. She is a very genuine and tough filly, and a really nice filly for them to have back on the farm as a broodmare."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
