Donal Murphy
Pepperpot sees it out best
Miss Pepperpot (nearest) & Fever Pitch jump the second last together
© Photo Healy Racing
The Fran Flood trained Miss Pepperpot (7/1) dug deep in the closing stages under Danny Mullins to take the feature race at Killarney this evening, the McSweeney Arms Hotel Handicap Chase.
The nine-year-old daughter of Winged Love was without a win since November 2011and she was joint bottom weight this evening with Coolnagorna Giggs both carrying just nine stone thirteen pounds.
She was last seen finishing a decent fourth to Carrig Millie in the Grade B Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase at the Punchestown Festival and she was well supported on-course today from an opening show of 10/1.
Prominent throughout she was ridden in third entering the straight and approaching the last it looked as if the 4/1 joint favourite (7/1 last night with Paddy Powers and touched 3/1 on track) Carlingford Lough was going to land the spoils under Mark Walsh.
However Miss Pepperpot dug deep on the run-in and she saw off his challenge, winning by a length at the line.
Carlingford Lough had to settle for second while fellow JP McManus runner Fever Pitch was a further four and a quarter lengths back in third under David Casey for Arthur Moore at 11/2 (backed from 8/1 on-course).
Coolnagorna Giggs was 7/1 overnight with Paddy Powers but opened on track at just 5/1 and was backed into 4/1 joint favouritism at the off.
The Tom Hogan trained gelding was still in contention until he unshipped Mark Enright at the fifth last fence.