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Iriskana grinds out maiden victory

Iriskana and Dan King (nearest) battle it out with Lucky VivIriskana and Dan King (nearest) battle it out with Lucky Viv
© Photo Healy Racing

The Sam Curling-trained Iriskana got her head in front when grinding out victory in the mares maiden hurdle at Roscommon.

Dan King stepped in for the ride on the 9/4 favourite and delivered her to challenge two from home in the two-and-a-half mile contest.

She battled it out with Lucky Viv from the final flight and outstayed that rival in the closing stages to record a comprehensive seven-and-a-half length win.

“She was entitled to do that off her last few runs. It's unfortunate for Cian (Quirke), who got hurt on Saturday at Listowel but he'll be back,” said Curling.

“She's a nice mare, stays well and she'll probably stay going for another while. She liked the ground and I'm delighted with her.

“I'd say the track suited her today, the track last time didn't really suit as she likes to get into a rhythm and she stayed at it well.”

About Gary Carson
Gary started out as a trainee/assistant journalist with the Sporting Life newspaper and has worked in the racing industry for over 25 years. He has been with the Press Association since 2013 and won the Irish Field Nap Table in 2016. He enjoys working with horses and trained his own horse, Mamaslittlestar, to win a point-to-point in 2019.