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Ava on top close home in auction maiden

Avagardner and Robbie Colgan prevailAvagardner and Robbie Colgan prevail
© Photo Healy Racing

The Sheila Lavery-trained Avagardner prevailed after a protracted duel with Sense Of Style in another cracking finish at Dundalk this afternoon.

Sense Of Style was sent to post the 11/10 favourite in the seven-furlong fillies maiden and made the running.

She had Avagardner on her girth throughout and the pair settled down to fight in out in the closing stages.

Robbie Colgan conjured a little bit more from the 18/1 winner close home to record a hard fought short-head victory.

Lavery had also saddled Belle Image to finish sixth in the opener and revealed:-

“That's a relief. I thought the other filly would be the one that won for us today but she just didn't face into the kick-back.

“This filly has had a couple of runs so Robbie decided to be prominent so that she didn't have to face the kick-back.

“She toughed it out really well, she's still raw and green and I think she'll improve off that.

“I think the step up in trip helped her and she's not ground dependent.

“She's in the Ballyhane, I know that's over six, but you'd have to have a go at it if you got in considering the prize-money. It depends what mark she gets because it's very highly subscribed.”

1st
18/1
Tote €25.00 €6.50
2nd
shd
11/10Fav
€1.30
3rd
3.5L
15/2
4th
3.75L
3/1
About Gary Carson
Gary started out as a trainee/assistant journalist with the Sporting Life newspaper and has worked in the racing industry for over 25 years. He has been with the Press Association since 2013 and won the Irish Field Nap Table in 2016. He enjoys working with horses and trained his own horse, Mamaslittlestar, to win a point-to-point in 2019.