"She's been unlucky a couple of times, getting to the front and getting chinned," said Mick Halford after his well-backed favourite Hunaina (6/4) shed her maiden tag at the sixth time of asking in a first-time tongue-strap in the Irish Stallion Farms E.B.F. Median Auction Maiden at Dundalk.

With form figures of 2222 Hunaina certainly wasn't scoring out of turn and she did so here, very smoothly under Shane Foley, by two lengths from Breath Of Truth

"She loved the surface and I'd say that was a big help. On form she was entitled to do that at some stage and it's nice to get the bracket," added Halford.

"She's had plenty (of racing). I'll talk to Pat (Downes, winning owner Aga Khan's man in Ireland) and see, but we might be inclined to pull up with her now unless there was a nursery coming up."

Hunaina reared over leaving the parade ring and on that the Copper Beech Stables operator reflected: "She can be a bit fussy. It was her first time with a tongue-tie but she has had it on at home. I sent somebody down to the start with her but she was as good as gold when she got there."

(GC & EM)