Search
Punchestown 2024
Punchestown 2024
- Home
- News
Donal Murphy
Jasmine the perfect present for Oxx
Majestic Jasmine races clear of Keeping (noseband) and Jazz Girl (red)
© Photo Healy Racing
Majestic Jasmine followed up on her recent win at Tipperary as she landed the Follow Fairyhouse On Facebook Rated Race, providing her trainer John Oxx with the perfect 63rd birthday present.
The daughter of New Approach ran well in three maidens at Dundalk last year but she then disappointed on her three-year-old debut at Wexford.
She shed her maiden tag in good style at Tipperary last month and she was sent off the 9/4 favourite (10/3 this morning with Paddy Power) to follow up this afternoon. Keeping attempted to make all under Emmet McNamara for Ger Lyons, but she was joined by Jazz Girl and the Declan McDonogh ridden winner from two furlongs out.
Majestic Jasmine then hit the front over a furlong out and she stayed on well in the final furlong to score by a length and three quarters. Strandfield Lady (10/1) kept on well to take second under Sam James for Harry Rogers, while the morning favourite Manhattan Swing (11/4 this morning but drifted out to 5/1 on-course), finished a distance behind her five rivals in last.
Assistant trainer Jim 'Slim' O’Neill said afterwards: "We were a little bit worry about whether she would get the trip. That’s as far as she’d want to go.
"Declan was saying in the last 100 yards that she was either idling or tying up. They went a hell of a gallop and we will see what the handicapper does now.
"She seems to be on the up. I thought that was a better race than the last one she won. She has a good attitude."
Additional reporting by Michael Graham