Open To The World gets off the mark

Open To The World justified favouritism in the McSweeney Arms Hotel Mares Maiden Hurdle, scoring under Jody McGarvey for Christy Roche.

Second on her penultimate start over the course and distance in May, she since finished a disappointing fourth when favourite at Tramore.

Available at 2/1 for a time this morning, she opened on-course 15/8, before going off the clear market leader at 13/8.

Prominent throughout, she hit the front with just over a circuit to race. She was joined before three out and wasn't fluent at that flight.

The seven-year-old went on again before the next, and kept on well under pressure from there, going on to score by two and a quarter lengths. Kilbarry Marien (12/1) ran well to finish second under Barry John Foley for Con O'Keeffe, while Mistheatre (5/1) was another five lengths away in third for Paddy Kennedy and Jessica Harrington.

Padraig Roche, son of the winning trainer, said afterwards: "She deserved that and while it was an ordinary enough race it was grand to get one out of her as she is well bred and has a good page.

"She'll go handicapping now but I'd say 102 (rating) is what she is and she stays and gallops. The bit of rain helped and she is a genuine old thing."

STEWARDS REPORT

A.E. Lynch, rider of Bold Sky trained by Henry de Bromhead, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount hung right during this race.

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes