Mary Shoelaces another winner for Jessica O'Gorman Jockey Jessica O'Gorman continued a fine recent run of form when guiding the Eddie and Patrick Harty trained Mary Shoelaces to victory in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Apprentice Handicap at the Curragh. Prominent from the off, the 11/2 chance soon led on the stands side. Pushed along to assert over a furlong out, only recent Dundalk winner Jordan Breeze could go with the mare. However, despite the latter drawing alongside over 100 yards out, Mary Shoelaces found that bit extra close home to score by half-a-length. Eddie Harty said: “She’s a little dinger of a filly. The soft ground didn’t suit but she’s in great form, and the yard is in good form, so we let her go. “She’s a small filly but she’s as tough as nails. In big fields during the summer she was just getting battered about a bit. If it gets tight she’s always going to lose out given her size but she doesn’t lack for heart. “Jess said she’d go forward and I said ‘good idea’ so that was it. She won at Newmarket this year, as an afterthought, and she’s a cracking little filly. She’s a joy to have around the place. “She’s fast and better ground would suit her better, that’s why Newmarket suited her. “She’s won now so we might just give her a break. Going around a bend in Dundalk doesn’t really suit her. “She’s won twice this season so doesn’t need to do anymore. If all of them did that you’d be happy. “It took a while to get the first winner this season, the first of May I think, but after that they’ve been running consistently well all summer and they’ve been winning for the last couple of months which is great.” Additional reporting by Gary Carson.
