Hide And Seek in dominant form© Photo Healy Racing
Hide And Seek justified 4/5 favouritism with a decisive victory in the opening mares' maiden hurdle over two miles in Tramore.
She closed in third three out and came through between horses to hit the front before the penultimate flight.
The grey Martaline mare increased her lead as she tackled that obstacle and surged further clear before the last. She won as she pleased by 10 lengths in the hands of Rachael Blackmore. What An Ocean (10/3) filled the runner-up berth and was three lengths ahead of 25/1 shot Monnie Shanahan
Henry de Bromhead said: “Delighted to get that for Diana (Vasicek, owner). She’s a mare we like a lot so it's nice that she’s got her head in front. She's home-bred from a great farm, so this is brilliant.
“She had been building towards that win. We just backed off her on the real winter ground, and Rachael said she loved that ground.
“She has lovely scope. She loose-schools really well over the fence, so I’ve been telling Diana she’s going to be better over a fence.
“We might look at a handicap at the Punchestown Festival.”
On her last start, Hide And Seek was third (22.5 lengths) behind El Fabiolo over course and distance on New Year's Day, and that winner was then beaten a neck in the Grade One novice's hurdle at Aintree on Friday.
Referring to that effort, de Bromhead added: "Funny you do (expect to run into a good one) on New Year’s Day, but I didn’t know he was of that level. We took him on on ground we probably wouldn’t be mad about — lovely jumping ground is ideal for her."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
