Mary Frances retired A four time winner overall and so good when landing the Jim Strang & Sons Kilsheelan (Peugeot) Hurdle at Clonmel in December, Mary Frances has run her last race. That Powerstown Park performance under Rachael Blackmore saw the Well Chosen mare excel in a heavy ground stamina test as she came home an easy winner by no less than forty five lengths. She had two Willie Mullins runners and a Gordon Elliott horse in arrears on that occasion. Irish Grand National winner from 2019 and Aintree fancy for this year, Burrows Saint chased home in second. Mary Frances last time ran better than her final place finishing position would suggest in the Grade Two John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran. Trainer Martin Hassett last night relayed the news of Mary Frances’ retirement on twitter, stating: “Mary Frances got injured yesterday, not life threatening, but would be out for 6 weeks, her ground would probably be gone, so the decision is to retire her, and start a new chapter in her career and go to stud.” The John O'Mahony owned and bred nine-year-old is of course a half-sister to a dual Grade One winner in Jazz Messenger.
