Money Dancer takes the spoils in Ballybrit Money Dancer claimed front-running Firebrand on the run-in of the Kenny Developments Maiden Hurdle to justify 11/8 favouritism. Firebrand certainly gave it a good go off the front, but Money Dancer took closer order in second coming to the penultimate flight. The leader got away from it well and Money Dancer soon came under a drive from Donagh Meyler. She came wide into the straight and, to her credit, whittled away the gap racing to the last. Meyler sent her past Firebrand at the furlong pole and the four-year-old filly, in a first-time hood, stayed on nicely to come in clear by 11 lengths from the tiring 7/2 runner-up. The Cistercian was backed from 16s to 8/1 and rewarded each-way players in third, a further six-and-a-half-lengths away. Money Dancer won on the Flat on debut at the Curragh in March last year and had been placed in two maiden hurdle at Leopardstown and Punchestown in December and January respectively. Noel Meade said: “She just got a bit stale. She had a couple of good runs on the Flat and looked like she’d win but she got into trouble a couple of times, couldn’t get out, and was coming too late. “I said we’d give her a break and we let her out for a couple of months, to sweeten her up. “She’s come back nicely, and she won first time out on the Flat, so I thought we’d keep her fresh. “She’s in a big handicap at the weekend, at the Curragh, but it might be a bit soon. There is one of those good races in her, I think. She likes an ease in the ground. “She’s an obvious contender for the Lartigue Hurdle at Listowel. It’s a €60,000 four-year-old race. We’ll have to see what way she’ll be handicapped.” Additional reporting by Gary Carson
