Empress Toorah (left) beating Celestial Fable© Photo Healy Racing
Sabrina Harty enjoyed a real red-letter day at the Curragh last Saturday when saddling a double with Ansgar and Breathe Easy, and the Co. Kildare yard kept up the good work as Empress Toorah recorded a deserved win in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden at Wexford.
Pat Smullen elected to make virtually all on the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor, and the 7/2 chance kept on well under pressure in the straight to beat 13/8 favourite Celestial Fable by a length. Saldanha Bay well-backed on track from 3/1 into 2/1, was the only other one of the septet to get involved in the final two furlongs of this extended mile event finishing just a neck further back in third. Memorable now qualifies for handicaps after making some late progress in fourth.
Ms Harty said, “She has been running some good races and then some terrible races and has been tricky to train, she can be hot and moody, a typical filly!
“She has been working really well at home so we are delighted that she transferred it to the track. The last day the ground went too dead on her, it has been hard to get the right ground. She is versatile enough but doesn’t like it sticky or heavy like it was at Roscommon.
“Pat said the ground was a bit dead so it suited her today and we just took a chance. She ran very well in a maiden at Naas and we said if she could reproduce that she would have a right chance. Sometimes handicaps are harder.
“In an 0-65 she would have a lot of weight and she is not an over big filly, she is rangy but she is only 15.2. I’m delighted for her owner who’s from Prosperous.
“Pat gave her a terrific ride and we will tip away with her now for the summer. She stays well and she might be one to go jumping with later in the year. Her dam was versatile and stayed really well so we will see."
(Additional reporting by Donal Murphy)
