Grandma Dotty and David Casey have the measure of Tiger Trek and Barry Geraghty© Photo Healy Racing
Grandma Dotty s dam High Reef won a hurdle and a couple on the flat and Charlie Swan's five-year-old has now matched her mother with victory in the Gowran Park Santa Train Maiden Hurdle.
Grandma Dotty was turned out quickly after her eighth placing at Navan just last Saturday and she was an easy-to-back 8/1 shot on this occasion having attracted plenty of market support when beaten less than ten lengths just six days ago.
Under David Casey the victorious Hurricane Run mare showed that bit of 'toe' she has from the level as she quickened up on the run-in to see off second favourite Tiger Trek by three parts of a length.
The market-leader Klinnsman had to settle for fifth place.
"She just kept jamming on the brakes at Navan. I suppose she had fallen on her previous run over hurdles, she got a really nasty fall and I suppose she hadn't run for nine or ten months over them. Every hurdle she just jammed on. She didn't jump bad but just five or ten yards away she was just jamming on," reasoned Swan.
He added: "She was only beaten nine and a half lengths and she must have lost fifteen lengths jumping. I was disappointed with her.
"She is not a bad mare and she wouldn't want it any softer than that now. I was borderline as to whether I'd run her but I was thinking it is hardly going to get any drier in the next couple of weeks.
"We will see how the weather is but if it stays soft we might go back to Dundalk with her. David is riding well at the moment, he is great and he is always in the right place." (DM & EM)
