Winning owners Irene Neale (left) and Helen Murtagh (right) celebrate with jockey Ben Dalton© Photo Healy Racing
Liberty Counsel sprang a 14/1 surprise as she landed the Sean Hughes Memorial Mullingar Park Hotel Handicap Chase in convincing style for local Mullingar based trainer Dot Love with Ben Dalton aboard. Bold Present for Brian Hayes and Leonard Whitmore made a lot of the running and attempted to assert at the third last.
However Ben Dalton tracked that move aboard the winner and he produced his mount to lead approaching the last before going on to score by a comfortable six lengths at the line.
Bold Present plugged on for second at 9/1 while Resolute Bay for Davy Russell and Philip Fenton was a further six and a half lengths back in third.
The winning 9yo daughter of Leading Counsel was having just her second run back after an absence of a year and a half off the track (first run back she pulled up behind Askanna at Fairyhouse last month).
Before her lengthy time off she won a point-to-point at Belharbour in February of 2009 before winning her maiden hurdle at Downpatrick in September of the same year.
On her last start (before her absence) she won a mares beginners chase at Fairyhouse in October of 2010.
Ciaran Murphy, assistant trainer to Dot Love, said afterwards: "She jumps super and we may try to exploit her mark over hurdles now."
Donal Murphy & Alan Magee
