Mick Halford's decision to bypass the six furlong handicap with his filly Miss Emma in favour of the listed Woodlands Stakes over the same trip yielded handsome dividends at Naas yesterday when she prevailed in a driving finish under Tadhg O'Shea.
After the 12/1 shot held the fast finishing One Won One by a rapidly diminishing head with the favourite Final Exam, representing Saturday's 2,000 Guineas winning team of Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen, only sixth Halford revealed, 'She had nine stone ten pounds to carry in the six furlong handicap but she worked so well last week plus the fact I didn't fancy the idea of her carrying that sort of weight we decided to have a go.'
The winning daughter of Key Of Luck carries the colours of Ann Marie Watson, sister of the late John Durkan whose father Bill was also on hand to greet the narrow scorer back to the winners enclosure.
Michael Kinane, successful aboard Danecare for James Burns in Miss Emma's original target earlier in the afternoon, captured the riding honours at the meeting when he scored on Fontanesi for his boss Aidan O'Brien, who ended a lean spell by his standards when taking the opener at Gowran Park on Sunday with Septimus Severus.
Dermot Weld, who saddled market leader Prominent Feature to finish only fifth here, had better luck later when he supplied the winner of the ten furlong handicap courtesy of Humilis, the first favourite to oblige during the afternoon at the Kildare track.
'That was a pleasing performance and she'll go for another handicap,' said Weld, who reflected on the disappointing effort of Final Exam in the feature event, 'He had a hard race at Cork when third to Repertory and I'd say it took the edge off him out there today. He was still feeling it.'
Racing opened with a maiden over the minimum trip and after the well-backed newcomer Twice Royal refused to load the contest was reduced to eleven runners with Almost Dancing landing the spoils for David Wachman and Kevin Manning from stall 12 which proved a significant advantage over the sprint trips throughout the afternoon.
U2's Bono and actor Robert de Niro were in deep discussion with trainer Dermot Weld before the concluding fillies maiden over a mile in which his filly Indian Belle,owned by Sean Mulryan, chased home impressive newcomer Dossier.
John Oxx, trainer of the four length winner, said,' She was working well and might be a decent sort. She was backward last year so we didn't run her and hopefully she'll stay a mile and a quarter.'
