Elegant Lass over the last© Photo Healy Racing
A gamble on Aunty Audrey in the mares' handicap hurdle at Tramore came up just short as she failed to reel in Elegant Lass
The latter made virtually all over two miles and still held the lead over the last as Aunty Audrey and Gotta Getaway tried to hunt her down.
Aunty Audrey came with a powerful effort on the run-in but the leader was game and held on by a short head under Darragh O'Keeffe at 7/2.
Runner-up Aunty Audrey was as big as 20/1 in the morning and was backed down to 13/2.
Gotta Getaway, the 3/1 joint favourite, couldn't go with the front pair after the last and came in three and a half lengths back in third.
Trainer Tom Gibney said: "It's just great to see her doing that, particularly for her owner Leonard (Kinsella). He is a fantastic man and has great patience. A lot of owners wouldn't have stuck with her for that long.
"She was very hard work and was very excitable. She would lose the head but the jumping has worked wonders in just settling her. That's all she needed to do, settle down and relax into life and she has.
"She'll go for more of the same now and hopefully the handicapper won't kill her for that as she didn't win very far, it was hard work."
Elegant Lass is now two from her last three with the victories sandwiching a runner-up spot here.
Additional reporting by Donal Murphy
