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Blanket lands nice touch on first start for McCarthy

Blanketontheground untidy at the last Blanketontheground untidy at the last
© Photo Healy Racing

Blanketontheground justified good support when claiming the rated novice hurdle at Limerick for Eoin McCarthy.

The Flemensfirth mare was backed from 14/1 this morning and went off a 7/2 shot for the two-mile contest.

Gearoid Brouder produced his mount to lead going to the penultimate flight and despite getting the last wrong she had enough in the tank to beat More Info by two-and-a-half lengths.

The winner was making her first start for McCarthy, having finished mid-division in handicap company on her two most recent outings in September.

"She had a lovely run behind Our Roxanne on heavy ground at Gowran last year and John Joe (Walsh, her previous trainer) had a great job done with her,” said McCarthy.

"She idled and had a look at the last but I wasn't too worried. 

"These are lovely races for these kind of horses and she looks to be a lovely filly and we're delighted with her.

"John Leahy, from Listowel, owns her and it's his first horse with us so hopefully he'll be lucky."

(Quotes by Tom Weekes)

About Gary Carson
Gary started out as a trainee/assistant journalist with the Sporting Life newspaper and has worked in the racing industry for over 25 years. He has been with the Press Association since 2013 and won the Irish Field Nap Table in 2016. He enjoys working with horses and trained his own horse, Mamaslittlestar, to win a point-to-point in 2019.