Saint bags chase success for O’Keeffe Kilbarry Saint gained a deserved success over fences when running out a cosy winner of the opening mares' beginners chase at Clonmel. Con O’Keeffe’s charge has been a regular in graded company in recent years, bagging black type on several occasions. She pressed front-runner Fancy Girl for most of the two-and-a-half mile trip today and disputed over the third-last. The 6/4 favourite hit the front before the penultimate fence, under Darragh O’Keeffe, and kicked on before the last to record a four-length win over Gaoth Chuil. O’Keeffe was recording his first winner since Kilbarry Saint opened her account, over hurdles, at this venue in February 2024. "She had run well in good company and was well overdue that second win. She has loads of black type and is a good honest mare,” said the Waterford handler. "All credit goes to the lads at home as well, who have been great, and we'll try and get one more run into her before the ground turns. “We might even consider a race in England and it will be at black-type level. "She will be going to stud this year, to our new stallion Dschingis Secret." (Quotes by Tom Weekes)
