Cleolinda goes one better to justify favouritism Cleodolinda confirmed the promise of her debut second here last month when going one better in the Lynn Lodge Stud Irish EBF Maiden at Navan. The Donnacha O’Brien-trained filly was ridden to lead inside the final furlong by Gavin Ryan and the 11/8 favourite kept on well to score by a length. Queenofthewild came home well to snatch the runner-up spot from Hanney Boy. Rejoinder was withdrawn after getting upset in the stalls resulting in a Rule 4 deduction of 10 cent in the euro to winning bets struck at board prices only. Ryan said, "It was pretty straightforward - came forward a lot from her first run, and she was plenty green on debut. "She is a filly with plenty of speed, and she has a very good pedigree. Two of her sisters that were with Donnacha - Usdi Atohi and Asean - were both stakes performers over five and six (furlongs). "She seems plenty quick and did that very easily. To me, the ground felt a bit slower than good." When asked about Royal Ascot, he replied: "Possibly, that will be up to Donnacha." When asked about the extra furlong in the Group 2 she has an entry for over Irish Derby weekend, he replied: "She is very relaxed and she has a lot of gears. Five or six (furlongs) shouldn't be any trouble, but that will be up to Donnacha." Quotes by Michael Graham
