Truce and Mikey Sheehy © Photo Healy Racing
The Gowran Park Racing Club Fillies Maiden resulted in a one-two for trainer Joseph O’Brien as Truce (10s into 13/2) got the better of Happywifehappylife (11/4).
The score was one-all between this pair after two previous clashes and indeed the winner had eight lengths to find with the latter on last month’s running at Killarney where she finished third.
In-form Mikey Sheehy was on the ball as usual and made a decisive move from mid-division just before the straight as he brought his filly through to race prominently on the outer.
In front two furlongs out, Truce was untroubled from that point to win by three and a quarter lengths as her stablemate, boxed in on the rail for quite a while from the turn-in, could only keep on at one pace in second.
The 72-rated daughter of Declaration Of War was getting off the mark at the sixth time of asking.
The 11/10 favourite Flora was struggling from half a mile out and trailed home a well-beaten tenth.
Brendan Powell, assistant to winning trainer Joseph O’Brien, said: “Mikey (Sheehy) said she just got home a lot better than she did last time, she kept galloping.
“She's done her job now and hopefully she'll go on from here, I'm not sure if there is much left for her on the grass.
“Both of them are big fillies and both will train on.”
Quotes from Gary Carson