Western Zara with groom Ciara Walsh in the winners enclosure© Photo Healy Racing
Western Zara proved a fortunate winner of the Join Tote.ie Mares Maiden Hurdle at Clonmel after odds-on favourite Humble Glory fell at the last with the race at her mercy.
The well-backed More Wine Lilly set the pace until headed by Western Zara and Humble Glory before the penultimate flight.
Humble Glory asserted approaching the last and jumped it well but came down a stride after landing when holding a two lengths advantage.
This left Western Zara well clear eventually scoring by ten lengths under Richie Deegan at odds of 4/1. Wild Eelin belied odds of 250/1 when keeping on to take second, with Little Token half a length back in third.
More Wine Lilly was set for one of the minor places until blundering badly at the last.
Winning trainer Paul Nolan said, "She would be more at home over a longer trip and maybe easier ground as well.
"She is a tall, young Westerner mare who would gallop until she'd die. She's a lightly raced filly and we'll see if she runs again this season - it can't be all over yet (ground-wise) so we'll see what happens."
(TW & AM)
