Porters Place (black and white stripes) © Photo Healy Racing
Paddy Twomey has another classy three-year-old prospect on his hands in the shape of Porters Place who was a most impressive debut winner of the Donohue Marquees Irish EBF Fillies Maiden.
The 15/8 favourite sat mid-division under Bill Lee and was pushed along with two furlongs to race. When brought to the outside and given just one smack of the whip early in the final furlong, the daughter of Make Believe picked up smartly to quickly settle matters and came home four lengths ahead of Greenfinch
Owned by John Joseph Flynn and D G Doyle, the winner holds an Irish 1,000 Guineas entry.
Twomey said: "Look, she is a nice filly and I was hopeful coming here today. I told her owners that if everything went right, she would have a chance of winning. First time out you are always worried; she was plenty green and inexperienced through the race. I wouldn't have been surprised if she finished third or fourth but I'm delighted she did what she did.
"I'd be hoping that if everything went right and we were lucky, we might be able to dream for the winter about having an Oaks filly on our hands.
(On making her into a Guineas filly) No, she is a big leggy filly. Her mother is a staying filly, a half-sister to Youmzain. She was a good filly for Jim Bolger. We'll take our time, I think she'll stay well. Hopefully we'll have fun with her for the foreseeable future."
Quotes from John O'Riordan
