Astar and Chris Hayes win the Clonmel Racecourse Supporters Club Fillies Maiden. © Photo Healy Racing
The ultra consistent Astar shed her maiden tag at the eighth time of asking when making just about all the running to land the opening Clonmel Racecourse Supporters Club Fillies & Mares Maiden.
Chris Hayes sent the Newtown Anner Stud owned three-year-old straight to the front from the off and for much of this race it looked as though she would easily land prohibitive odds of 8-11f.
From halfway, her only serious danger looked to be the Jessica Harrington trained once-raced filly Stariam However, having closed up over half a mile from home, Shane Foley was soon hard at work on the daughter of Sea The Stars.
To her credit, Stariam responded to pressure, moving closer to Astar at the two furlong pole, taking the latter off the bridle. Chris Hayes had to get a bit more serious with the Dermot Weld trained filly than would have been expected pre-race but she kept on well to win cosily.
At the finish, she had one-and-a-quarter lengths in hand of Stariam, with the same distance back to Sarah Purser in third.
Dermot Weld said: "It was as expected and the plan was to jump off and make all - keep it simple. We had two runners here last year which both won and that's the way we rod both of them.
"She has been a model of consistency, she ran an excellent race when she was second in Galway and is lovely-bred and locally owned by Newtown Anner Stud. Later in the year we'll try for blacktype with her, because she is so consistent."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes.
