Liz's D'estruval (farside) jumps the last ahead of The Blarney Rose© Photo Healy Racing
David Splaine recorded his first double as he took the John B Keane Mares Beginners Chase aboard the John Murphy trained Liz's D'estruval at 20/1 (won the third aboard Hang On Groovy at 16/1).
The five-year-old daughter of Presenting failed to win on seven point-to-point starts but she did run well to finish third on her racecourse debut at Cork in April, finishing just over five lengths behind She's Got Grit
She since ran in two point-to-points finishing third and second respectively and having tracked the leaders for much of the contest she came with her challenge before the last.
She soon hit the front and kept on well to draw clear on the run-in, scoring by four and a quarter lengths at the line. The Blarney Rose ran well to take second at 14/1 under Brendan Crowley for Eugene O’Sullivan while the front running Lough Roe Lady was a further five lengths back in third under Andrew McNamara for Philip Byrne at 7/1. Top Madam was sent off the 9/4 favourite under Davy Condon for Donal Coffey but she disappointingly pulled up before the straight.
The double for Splaine came in at 356/1 and the twenty-five year-old now needs five more winners to see his claim reduced to three pounds.
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
