Samantha Jones and Davy Russell© Photo Healy Racing
The Mick Winters trained Samantha Jones (11/4f) made a winning chase debut at Tramore today, in the Tramore Racecourse Supporters Club Beginners Chase on her seasonal reappearance under Gold Cup winning jockey Davy Russell.
Russell elected to make the running on the point-to-point winning daughter of Brian Boru and the pair stayed on well in the closing stages to comfortably defeat Dale Street
Winters later stated “she is a gutsy mare and she gallops and jumps. She's only back in around six weeks and we'll look for a mares novice on quick ground now. She'll be more suited to tight tracks and small fields.”
Winters, whose Rebel Fitz landed the Grade 1 Powers Gold Cup in April, had earlier met with a minor 'setback' and explained “I had an each way double with her (Samantha Jones) and the other one (his Missed Cloud in an earlier race) which came second at 33/1 and if it came off, the wife would have been driving home!”
By Thomas Weekes, quotes from Donal Murphy
