Queen lives up to her name again

The Ger Lyons trained Queen Of The Sand got up in the closing stages to deny Sassaway in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap.

Ridden by Gary Carroll, the three-year-old daughter of Footstepsinthesand won her maiden over the course and distance in November of last year, and she followed up on her next start at Gowran in May.

Despite running well, she failed to score on her subsequent five starts, but she got back to winning ways this evening returning to the all-weather for the first time since last November.

Sassaway (5/1), who was prominent throughout, kicked for home a furlong out, and she looked set for victory under Fergal Lynch for Eamonn O’Connell, but she couldn’t hold off the challenge of the winner, as she stayed on strongly on the outside close home, getting up to score by half a length. Fulminata was sent off the 3/1 favourite for Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning and she finished a further neck back in third.

Shane Lyons, assistant trainer to his brother Ger, said afterwards: "She is a genuine filly, and has been running well all season.

"She was drawn bad at Roscommon the last day and her ideal trip is really a mile, but the ground was going against her this weekend so we took a chance and came here."

Additional reporting by Alan Magee