Tankardstown Diva © Photo Healy Racing
Trainer Ian Donoghue completed a double when Tankardstown Diva (7/1) was an eased-down winner of the Choose Fibrus Broadband Handicap Hurdle.
Ridden by the trainer's brother Keith, the grey mare had been touched off at this venue on her previous start.
Having been held up in mid-division, she came through to lead travelling well after the second-last and soon had matters under control. The winning rider geared down on the run-in and the daughter of Jukebox Jury, owned by Matthew Rogers, was value for a good deal more than the winning margin of a length and a quarter over longtime leader Plain Or Battered
The winning trainer, on the mark earlier with O'Faolains Glory said: "This is turning into a very lucky place for us! I lived up north for a few years and would have come up here plenty, it was always a good track and it is nice to get winners here.
"It's our first double on the track, so it is nice.
"I was a little bit worried about stepping her up in trip as she can be very hard on herself.
"He kind of got there a bit soon and lit her up too early, so she locked on going to the fourth last. She is still doing things the hard way, but she is learning every run.
"She'll stay going a while, she hasn't been that busy really so we will probably keep going all summer with her.
"It is great for Matt Rogers, he is a good supporter of ours and that first track winner for him. I had a point-to-point winner for him.
"We had a double point-to-pointing before Christmas. So many of them have been called off. We have three or four left to run and they want nice ground."
Quotes from Michael Graham
