Leah Claire is driven out by Danny Grant© Photo Healy Racing
The consistent Leah Claire battled gamely to win the kieranoconnellracing.com Anniversary Handicap under Danny Grant for Willie McCreery.
The seven-year-old daughter of Tomba, who has already won twice this year, was recording her ninth career victory this evening.
Sent off at 9/2 she was settled towards the rear as Zafarqand attempted to make all under Connor King.
She was pushed along approaching the straight and made headway into third. A gap appeared on the rail a furlong from home and she came through it to lead, keeping on best close home to score by a length and a quarter. Cebuano ran well to take second at 16/1 under Shane Foley for Mick Halford, while Zafarqand (7/2) ran another nice race to take third, a head behind. Heirloom was sent off the 11/10 favourite but he could only manage a disappointing fourth, a further two and a quarter lengths back for Aidan & Joseph O’Brien.
Willie McCreery said afterwards: "Anytime Frank (winning owner Frank McNulty) isn’t here she wins, so he won’t be allowed to come from now on.
"He is down in Ballybunion with his son Peter and he must have been praying for the rain.
"The slow pace suited her and she is all guts. Not every horse would go up the rail like that, but when the gap opened she shot into it.
"There is a race on Sunday week at Galway for her, it is a mares hurdle. She wouldn’t get into the Galway Hurdle.
"She is easy to trained and she is all heart."
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
