Flood wins Leinster National with Miss Xian

The Francis Flood trained Miss Xian gained National glory at Naas today, winning the featured Grade B Woodlands Park 100 Club Leinster National Handicap Chase in a tight finish by a nose, under jockey Mark Enright.

The bottom weight was racing from six pounds out-of-the-handicap and while Bothair Clei held a narrow advantage after the last, Enright encouraged a great finish from Miss Xian who finished strongly to edge her nose in front on the line.

Francis Flood junior, assistant trainer, later reported "we took a chance from 6lb out of the handicap; it's not something we'd normally do but it's a black-type race and with a filly, it was worth taking a chance.

"That's her third win here and her fifth in all. She's tough and she stays and the 3m5f race at the Punchestown Festival springs to mind straight away as a possible target."

Light-weight jockey Enright is himself beginning to tick off the list of big race winners and has now completed a 'full-set' of Grade A, B and C Handicap Chase wins.

By Tom Weekes, quotes from Alan Magee