Verdana leaves favourite backers feeling Blue Verdana Blue reversed Tramore form with Arbor Des Champs, as she took the bumper at Killarney, the Killarney Racegoers Club Mares Flat Race. Well beaten on her first two starts, the Edmond Kent trained four-year-old finished second on her last start at Tramore, eight and a half lengths behind Arbor Des Champs. Arbor Des Champs was sent off the 9/10 favourite (from 11/10 on-course) this evening, with Verdana Blue going off a 12/1 chance. Settled in mid-division by Nina Carberry, the winner was seventh with a circuit to race. She improved on the outer as they entered the straight, and was ridden to challenge from the two furlong pole. The daughter of Getaway (first success for the Coolmore sire) hit the front with over a furlong to race, and she kept on well in the closing stages, going on to score by half a length. Arbor Des Champs, who led from two furlongs out, battled gamely once headed, but she ultimately had to settle for second under Patrick Mullins for his cousin Emmet. The front two went four and a quarter lengths clear of Khalessi (9/1) who finished third under Barry O'Neill for TJ Nagle. Edmond Kent said afterwards: "She is a nice mare and I've always liked her and think a lot of her. "She'll go places but what happens next I don't know but I'll try sell her if I can. "That's my third runner in a row to have won here and this is a lucky place for me - I won this race in 1999 with a horse called Lord Native who I bought for 400 bales of hay!" Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
