Famous Day and Barry Browne lead over the last© Photo Healy Racing
After going down narrowly with Cappacon in the previous race, Oliver McKiernan and Barry Browne gained compensation with Famous Day in the Sequence Events Handicap Hurdle.
Having failed to make a significant impact in her first fourteen starts, the daughter of Beneficial went down by just a length and a quarter at Tramore last month.
She then finished a fine fourth at Listowel, and went up a total of eight pounds for those two efforts, both of which were in maiden company.
Supported from 25s to 20s on-course, the bay six-year-old was settled in mid-division by Browne, and took closer order to track the leaders from the fourth last flight.
She came with her challenge at the next, and led narrowly from the last, keeping on well under pressure from there to hold off the challenge of third reserve Brave Love by a head.
The runner-up was returned at 25/1 under Phillip Enright for Leonard Whitmore, while the well-backed 11/2 favourite Messie (25s early and from 13/2 on-course) was another three lengths back in third. Neddyvaughan (10s to 7s and from 20s early) completed the places in fourth, while the fast-finishing Lady Of The Sea was fifth.
McKiernan said afterwards: "I thought it would be the other way about if we were going to have a winner. The other fella (Cappacon) is not a two-mile horse, and if it was two and a half we would have fancied him a lot.
"It has taken a good while for the penny to drop with this horse. She's had plenty of racing but looking at her this morning I thought she was only getting race-fit. I could count her ribs this morning and I couldn't count them all year.
"She’s a well-bred mare and we wanted to win a race with her. She might not do much more this year but if she's in good form we might decide to run her again.
"She wants good ground so time is probably running out for her."
STEWARDS REPORTS
L.P. Gilligan, rider of Maighnealta trained by Desmond McDonogh, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount made a noise turning into the home straight.
P. Townend, rider of Hernandoshideaway (GB) trained by Miss Amanda Mooney, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount ran very free.
B.J. Cooper, rider of Lady Of The Sea trained by Paul Nolan, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount slipped on the bend turning in.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
