Emily In Paris and Michael O Sullivan clear the final hurdle to win for trainer Davy Fitzgerald.© Photo Healy Racing
Emily In Paris followed up her Killarney success from last month when running out an easy winner of the Lighthouse At Clifford Electrical Handicap Hurdle at Sligo.
The Davy Fitzgerald trained mare, who had finished runner-up on three successive starts prior to that success, has clearly discovered the winning habit.
Always in the front rank here under Michael O'Sullivan, the five-year-old moved closer to leader Influential Lady approaching two out and led after that flight before kicking clear into the straight. Junior Rattler briefly emerged as a challenger on the run-in but the Fitzgerald trained winner found that bit extra to keep on for a popular success.
Michael O'Sullivan said:"She was brilliant today, I think she's after improving a bit again. She was flat to the boards early but once I got her out from behind Phillip (Enright, on Junior Rattler), she jumped on the bridle and she jumped and travelled then after that.
"Obviously I was going to kick on up the hill if I could at all and she was good and idle going to the last. She's very straightforward, one of them mares you love riding, love seeing your name down beside hers. Davy's a shrewd operator and he said he thought he had her in the right place today."
Davy Fitzgerald added: "I thought she'd win a bumper the way she worked and then all she seemed to do was getting beaten, just staying, but Kevin Brouder rode her a bit of work after she won in Killarney and she worked super. He said you don't need to go three miles with her. She was well in this evening. She's not a bad filly and she's out of a mare who won over a mile-and-a-half on the Flat."
Additional reporting by Mark Nunan
