Coquette Noire sheds her maiden tag

Kevin Prendergast’s Coquette Noire got off the mark in the concluding seven furlong fillies maiden at the Curragh as Chris Hayes guided her home along the rail. Il Palazzo the 6/4 favourite, went off very quickly into the lead, but Coquette Noire picked her off with over a furlong to race and kept a true path towards the line to win at 5/2 from 4s this morning.

Wayne Lordan and Fire And Flame raced alone down the centre of the track and were always on the premises, but gave best by half a length, also at 5/2.

“She got beat in a very close photo at Gowran and the boss [Kevin Prendergast] still can’t believe she didn’t win,” Chris Hayes said.

“She might have been just feeling the ground inside the last furlong, but she’s so genuine she kept going.”

Additional reporting by Alan Magee