Park off the mark in style

Castafiore Park stormed clear before the last to land the odds in the opening mares maiden hurdle at Limerick this afternoon.

Paul Nolan 's charge had been placed on her last three outings, most recently when chasing home Redhotfillypeppers at Punchestown last month.

The former point-to-point winner was sent to post a 4/6 shot to open her 'track' account this afternoon and got the job done with the minimum of fuss.

Bryan Cooper had his mount to the fore throughout and asked her to quicken away before the final flight. She galloped on strongly to record an 11-length success. Lily Trotter edged the runner-up spot from fellow 33/1 shot The Last Armada

"I suppose if she had got beaten in that it'd have been a long journey home. She did it well and we didn't complicate things,” said Nolan.

"She was entitled to win her race and had some good form. Hopefully she could be a bit better over a fence as at times she makes a little too much of her hurdles.

"She'll have to go handicapping now and if we could stick to mares' company it would be great.

"Bryan comes down to us once a week and is a great help and is a very experienced chap and I'll absolutely take him when he is available."

(Quotes by Tom Weekes)