Marques comes good in style

The Fozzy Stack-trained Grande Marques strode away in good style to run out a cosy winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Rated Race at Navan.

Seamie Heffernan tracked the leaders in the four-runner affair before producing the 5/2 shot to lead going to the furlong pole.

The Starspangledbanner filly asserted inside the final furlong could afford to coast home late on for a two-and-a-quarter length win over Shimmy Jimmy

It was a first career success for Grande Marques, who was fourth in maiden company on her last outing at Naas.

Stack said: "She ran well the first day in the Curragh and met a bit of interference. Then she was free in that Group 2 (at the Curragh) and she was free a bit in the Ballyhane race in Naas and kind of got caught in no man's land. She came up the middle of the track on her own.

"She's had excuses, but it is very well saying they have excuses - they have to go out and show otherwise at times. We stopped making excuses today and she won well today.

"We'll step her back up in grade. There is a Group 3 in Ayr in a fortnight's time and there is a race at Newmarket quite late as well, at the end of October. It is a fillies' race over six.

"Quick ground doesn't seen to bother her anyhow.

"It was a grand little pot for four runners."

(Quotes by Michael Graham)