Mellow Magic and Shane Foley© Photo Healy Racing
Mellow Magic made a perfect start for new connections when prominent throughout to take the SP Or Better Guaranteed With Tote Handicap at Gowran.
The daughter of Nathaniel was rarely out of the money for Andrew Balding winning last year at Windsor and was snapped up for 42,000 guineas last autumn.
Shane Foley sent the 4/1 chance to the front after about half a mile in this extended 1m5f event and she kept on strongly inside the final furlong to beat Kingswear by two and a half lengths. Grecian Slipper was a further head back in third.
Winning trainer Jessica Harrington said, “She’s the only horse we managed to buy at the Horses-In-Training Sale last year. Richie (Galway) was over there and he was getting blow out of the water from everywhere.
“Shane said they were going so slow and she was starting to get keen and he felt she might as well be in front. He gave her a kick at the bottom of the straight and she quickened well and stayed going.
“She’s a real genuine mare. There is a race for her in Killarney and then she will probably go for a Premier Handicap on Guineas weekend.
“She seems to go on all types of ground which is great.
“I think she will go up in trip. She’ll give them (OMEGA Racing) a lot of fun and we might try to get some black type with her.”
