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Mark Nunan

Mark Nunan

Zenya wins on debut for Weld and Orr

Mon 15th Jun 2020, 18:12

                       Zenya and Oisin Orr Zenya and Oisin Orr
© Photo Healy Racing

Oisin Orr brought Zenya (7/1) with a steady run in the straight to lead a furlong out in the Irish Stallion Farmes EBF Fillies’ Maiden, and from that point the daughter of Raven’s Pass kept on well to make a winning debut.

She won by a length and three quarters and a short head from the ‘green’ runner-up Toora Loora (33/1) and Assurance (4/1).

Stablemate of the runner-up Flor De La Luna was sent off 5/6 favourite on her first start, but Shane Foley pulled her up almost straight from stalls after feeling that she’d gone lame, and she was confirmed by the vet to be lame on her left hind post-race.

The Aga Khan-owned homebred winner is a half-sister to two winners, notably Zannda who took the Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes at Cork under Pat Smullen five years ago for today’s winning trainer Dermot Weld.

“I had to take my time more than I wanted to, the way the race worked out, but it probably helped as she was green when I got there,” said winning jockey Oisin Orr.

“She’ll improve a lot from the run and like the filly yesterday (Eldama at Leopardstown) she’s a nice one going forward.”

Additional reporting by Eamonn Murphy

About Mark Nunan
Mark has followed racing since he was a teenager and worked for many years as a broadcaster with the Irish version of Racecall. He joined the Press Association in 2019 and is also a contributor to the Racing Post. A native of Kildare, he now lives in Sligo.