Solita just holds off Lenora

Solita just held off the late surge of Lenora as she took the Listowel Mares Maiden Hurdle under Mark Walsh for Paul Nolan.

The five-year-old daughter of King’s Theatre won a bumper at Downpatrick in May and put in a decent performance to finish fourth to Gutsy Rocky on her debut over hurdles at Tramore last month.

Sent off an easy to back 4/1 chance (was as short as 5/2 this morning) she chased the leaders throughout.

She took closer order from before the straight but made a mistake at the second last when coming with her challenge and she soon came under pressure.

She hit the front at the last and was driven out from there, just holding off the late surge of Lenora by a short head.

Lenora, for Edmond Kent and Paddy Mangan, had to settle for second at 3/1 having being backed from 4/1 on-course. Dainty Diva was sent off the 7/4 favourite but she was beaten from a long way out and finished a very disappointing fifth under Luke Dempsey for Donal Coffey.

Paul Nolan said afterwards: "It wasn’t a great race on paper. She got a lovely ride from Mark but I thought maybe that she had lost it on the nod.

"She has won her bumper and her maiden hurdle now so she will be nice broodmare now for her owner Robert Hennelly."

Mark Walsh added: “She is still a bit green. She wasn’t really concentrating at the second last and she just made a mess of it. She got back into her stride and she winged the last when I gave her a few slaps down the shoulder.”