Niall 'Slippers' Madden showed ice-cool nerves aboard Lily's Star the gambled-on winner of the opening split of the [email protected] Handicap. This daughter of Chineur was gaining the second win of her twenty race career here and she was completing a 26 and a half to one double for her trainer Harry Rogers. He had earlier been on the mark with the Joseph O'Brien-ridden Elusive Ridge
Madden looked like he might fail to secure a run on the inside on the sweet-travelling winner as they approached the business end. But he angled out beautifully to get his challenge in inside the final furlong and got the filly running in time to nail Cool Athlete on the line and score by the minimum margin.
Lily's Star had been available to back at as big as 14/1 earlier in the day but support at the track forced her into favouritism at a price of 4/1.
An understandably satisfied Rogers said: "'Slippers’ was very good on her. He did exactly what we asked him to.
"In fairness she should have won on her last two or three runs – she's been very unlucky.
"She'll be back here again next week now." (GC & EM)
