Spindleberry digs deep to make winning chase debut

Spindleberry had to work hard when getting up late on to land the odds in the mares beginners chase at Cork.

The Willie Mullins-trained mare, runner-up in Grade 1 company at Fairyhouse last Easter, went to post an 8/11 shot on her debut over fences in the two-mile-five contest.

She tracked leader Majestic Force from the first fence and but came under pressure after making a slight mistake two from home.

The front-runner reached for the last and a better jump there gave Spindleberry a chance.

The Policy Maker mare knuckled down well, for Paul Townend, on the run-in to get up for a half-length win.

Townend said:- “I jumped well but the second (Majestic Force) jumped so well. She had me just at the pin of my collar.

“I wasn’t missing fences, but she was getting a length everywhere. My mare took a little blow, and I said I’ll have one go instead of getting in a battle and having to ask all the way down the straight.

“She was brave for me at the last. I thought, going to the last, that bar I had bad luck, I’d give her a run of it. Obviously, we were helped by Darragh’s mare reaching for it, but I had the momentum up as well. He had committed and his mare was maintaining a gallop, whereas I was picking up.

“She took a blow and will come on for it, and she’ll go on a touch slower ground. I thought it was a good performance.”

It was a treble on the card for Mullins and a double for jockey Townend.

(Quotes by Tom Weekes)