Winning connections of I Am Shadow after the Ciaran Murphy trained mare won bumper. © Photo Healy Racing
Harry Swan adopted similar tactics to those that prevailed on earlier winners when taking the concluding Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares(Pro/Am) INH Race at Sligo.
Although in a departure from previous winners on the night, Swan held the Ciaran Murphy trained five-year-old up in the early stages of the race. He then followed a tried and tested route in making ground on the outside of the field before entering the straight then kicking on early.
Those tactics had worked a treat on both Golden Sandbanks and Emily In Paris in earlier races so it was to the jockeys credit that he took a similar approach.
Leading from the turn for home, the daughter of Getaway kept on strongly inside the last furlong to hold the late run of Adela Icon
Ciaran Murphy said: "The horses are in great form. We made no secret that it would be Galway time before our better horses started to come out and that's the way it worked out.
"This is a lovely mare from a great family with a very loyal and patient owner and I'm just delighted she's went and won a bumper. She had plenty of experience and she showed that today. There's a few more in her, I'd say, and we're looking forward to her. She'll go over hurdles at some stage and she'll probably have a go on the Flat as well."
Additional reporting by Mark Nunan.
