Mark McNiff and Derek Fox are all smiles after their double© Photo Healy Racing
Mark McNiff and Derek Fox completed a double at Downpatrick as Pennys Tune got the better of the odds-on favourite Dashing Lady in the 'Everyone Loves Downpatrick' Mares Handicap Hurdle (won the opener with Idlewild .
The seven-year-old daughter of Montjeu won over the course and distance in June and then refused to race at Sligo on her last start when favourite.
Sent off a 7/2 chance this afternoon she raced in rear before improving into third after three out.
She came with her challenge on the inner before the second last and soon hit the front, keeping on well under pressure on the run-in to score by a length and three parts.
Dashing Lady, who was sent off 10/11 favourite (opened 11/10), couldn’t peg back the
winner close home and she had to settle for second under Kevin Sexton for John Nicholson.
Mark McNiff said afterwards: “She was down too long at the start at Sligo. Once she jumped off today she was always going to win. This has been a wild lucky track for me.
"The favourite (Dashing Lady) had no form on that ground and she had form on all ground. We might come back here next time and then look at the flat and then maybe try to get her to Listowel. We could go to England for a two mile flat race."
Additional reporting by Michael Graham
