Christie's mare off the mark over fences

Paidi's Passion (7/2) got off the mark on her second start over fences in the P&D Lydon Mares Beginners Chase.

Darragh O'Keeffe 's mount tracked the leaders before jumping to the front past Hazelhatch Lady at the second-last and stayed on well to comfortably account for Presenting Doyen by six lengths.

A winner over hurdles at this venue last year and on her previous start at Downpatrick, the daughter of Ocovango is trained by David Christie for Sean Gerard Duke.

"She did it well now," said Christie. "She has strengthened up this year. There's not much of her, she's very narrow, but her jumping's just unreal and that's what's done it for her. She stays super. Darragh said he was trying to hold onto her for as long as he could and he could have done with another one to give him a lead for a bit longer.

"She won her hurdle on the outer loop, the same track they were using today, and that's a nice track. They've done an unbelievable job with it here.

"She doesn't want real summer ground, she wouldn't want quick ground. She's very light-framed and enjoyed that ground, it's beautiful ground here today.

"I have to say that she keeps surprising me. I thought if we were third in this we'd have run well, but in fairness I knew that if she could run to the form of when she was second to Gavin Cromwell's mare (Malinas Girl) at Roscommon last year, she wouldn't be far away.

"It's nice to see the horses in reasonable form with all our big guns coming back in now."