Handassa sparkles on debut

Handassa (4/1 this morning into 13/8 favourite) justified the confidence of her backers at the first time of asking by impressively taking the TRI Equestrian European Breeders Fund Median Auction Maiden in the hands of Declan McDonogh at the Curragh.

Handassa, a daughter of Dubawi, owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum and trained by Kevin Prendergast, picked off the front-running Deire Na Sli over a furlong out before racing away for a five and a half length success.

Prendergast was at the sales in Newmarket but McDonogh commented: "She is nice and she handled the ground well. She raced very lazy but once I got upsides Kevin (Manning on Deire Na Sli) I gave her a flick and she picked up well.

"She has a good attitude, she is boom-proof - a lovely filly. I thought she looked a bit big in the parade ring and that she might need it but she kept going well all the way to the line."

Handassa, bought at Tattersalls last year for 100,000 guineas, got a 20/1 quote for the 2011 1000 Guineas from Ladbrokes.