Feile Na Mban strides to victory under Ronan Whelan© Photo Healy Racing
Feile Na Mban provided Jim Bolger with a double on the evening (took the Meld Stakes with Scintillula , as she ran out a good winner of the last, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF 3yo Maiden.
Ridden by Ronan Whelan, the daughter of New Approach was sent off the 8/11 favourite after finishing fourth to Venus De Milo on her debut in a Listed race at Naas last month.
After racing in third in the early stages, she came under pressure approaching the straight and she looked in trouble.
However once she met the rising ground, she kept on well and she hit the front with a furlong left to race, drawing clear close home to score by eight lengths. More Of The Same took second at 16/1 under Fran Berry for Jessica Harrington while the Jjohn Oxx trained duo occupied the final two places.
Army Ranger (lame) had been pulled out earlier today while Arch Pearl was withdrawn for refusing to load.
Jim Bolger said afterwards: "She’s good, she is not easy, but she’s good, hence the hood.
"Ronan has done a great job on her, he rides her all the time and I felt it was only fair to leave him on her.
"The ground was a bit of a concern until he told me how well she handled it. It doesn’t seem to matter to her.
"Her first run was good and she only really got the message half a furlong down. The form of that race has worked out very well.
"She will go back for a Stakes race now and she could go back in trip."
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
