Eagle flies in to spoil Royal party On an evening when a reigning British monarch had their first Irish trained runner, it was Pat Flynn's Not Just Any Eagle who came out on top when narrowly denying Reaching High to win the concluding Leopardstown Lady Riders Handicap. Ridden by Robyn Donaghue-Leahy, the previous four-time winner showed plenty of resolution to hold off the Willie Mullins trained Royal runner, Reaching High, by the narrowest of margins. Tracking the leaders in fourth, as Walhaan adopted his customary front-running tactics, Not Just Any Eagle was pushed along to go second entering the home straight. Ridden to close the gap over a furlong out, Not Just Any Eagle was joined by Jody Townend on Reaching High. The latter pair headed Walhaan over 50 yards out, flashing by the post together. It took a photo to determine that Pat Flynn's gelding had just done enough to hold on by a short head. A stewards enquiry was called after the race but the result stood. Robyn Donaghue-Leahy said: “The race set up perfectly for him. I bounced out to make it and I felt we were going quick enough down the back and let them go. “He picked up well and was good and game the whole way up the straight. “He’s been a great servant to me and Pat. That’s his fourth win in the past year.” Patrick Mullins said of Reaching High: “It was a brilliant run, and Jody gave him a fantastic ride. He just ran out of road. “We think that will bring him on nicely and hopefully we can have him ready for Ascot. “We’re looking forward to having some fun with him and it would be magic if we could get a winner for the royals at Royal Ascot.” Additional reporting by Alan Magee.
