Mervyn Torrens made the five and a half journey to Tramore with his first runner worthwhile when that very good servant to his Omagh, Co. Tyrone yard, Isabellareine followed up her Galway Festival win by landing the Starbets.ie Handicap.
Torrens wisely went with the local rider, Danny Grant to do the steering on the German-bred daughter of Goofalik and the Waterford city pilot gave the 3/1 shot an intelligent ride. He set a stop start gallop in front on the seven-year-old and he found a willing partner inside the final furlong as the mare asserted under pressure to beat Grangeclare Clare by a length and a half. Favourite My Blue Heaven was a bit wide off the final turn and she finished a further half a length adrift in third.
Torrens commented of Strabane owner, David Adam's Isabellareine: "I don't know where she'll go now but any of those two mile staying races are there for her. She'll most likely go for a hurdle again though as long as the ground stays fast.
"We feared there mightn't be a lot of pace here so we made it as she doesn't sprint. She is a battler though. It took a long time to get here but as long as they win it's not so bad."
