Jolie proves Thurles Jewel for McMahon The Brian McMahon trained Jolie Jewel defied topweight when staying on strongly close home under James Smith to win Division l of the William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series Handicap Hurdle at Thurles. Held up towards rear in the initial stages, the Daniel Kelly owned mare tacked on to the back of the leading group entering the straight. Still only sixth jumping the final flight, the well supported 8/1 chance (from 16/1) really took off on the run-in, rattling home to beat Killian's Garden by four lengths. Brian McMahon said: "She had been highly strung but is calming down. She was very calm in the parade ring for her two previous runs, when she ran no race, and was calm again today, so I worried. Like always in order to get her settled, we dropped her in and they probably stopped in front. "Sometimes when the pack goes no gallop, you can get lost out of her ground but other times you can come home looking like Arazi!" He added "she had been awfully consistent all through the summer but paid the price for that consistency in that she stayed high in the handicap, although had come down a couple of pounds today. "Thurles has the tightest ground you'll find at this time of year and it suits. We'll go to Leopardstown now at Christmas as her owner loves to have a runner there." Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes.
