Howaya C D And E stayed on strongly to beat favourite What Path in the AJC Group(Pro/Am) Flat Race at Downpatrick.

Patrick Mullins looked to be travelling well at the head of the field leaving the back straight but Joey Dunne soon covered that move and arrived going easily on that ones outer.

The Ger Keane trained mare took up the running on the climb from the bottom of the hill and went away to win comfortably.

Having shown definite promise when fifth on her racecourse debut at Punchestown, the seven-year-old improved from that outing.

Gerry Keane said: "She didn't run until she was seven. We had her dam who was a very good mare and she was the same, she was slow to start. Her mother was fourth in the Irish National, and she won seven on the track for us and four point-to-points. She has bred a lot of winners as well.

"We only got one point-to-point into her because the ground was too hard and she ran a real respectable race. She went to Punchestown and finished fifth.

"She has had a lot of niggly problems. She is probably a two and a half mile plus mare. She is not as strong as the mother or her sister Howaya Aoife. She is more of a hurdle type than a chasing type.

"She'll go straight for a two and a half mile mares' maiden hurdle. She wouldn't want ground any better than that. I was a bit afraid of the ground coming up but it was lovely ground.

"The owner is with me since I started and he'd never interfere with you. If one runs bad, there is never a long face and if one wins there is great excitement."

Additional reporting by Michael Graham