Menindee scores for Christie & Harvey

The Qualified Riders Handicap Steeplechase produced a good finish with three horses in contention as they approached the final fence. Menindee who had moved into third entering the straight, was switched to the inner by Ben Harvey between the two final fences and the daughter of Yeats stayed on best on the run-in to beat 6/5 favourite Temptationinmilan and Hoke Colburn by a length and three quarters and half a length.

A winner over hurdles at Ballinrobe in August, Menindee had finished fourth on her chasing debut at Downpatrick last month.

Winning trainer David Christie said: “She only gallops and stays. She has a huge stride and the big track suited her.

“Ben felt that she is still very novicey and obviously it’s just her second run over fences. He said she was very good over the last four which is what we needed.

“There is a 2m7f hurdle at Thurles next week for mares only that I had an eye on, so we’ll see how she comes out of this.

“She always jumped a hurdle like a fence and when she gets her act together was always going to be better over a fence.”

Quotes from Alan Magee