Miss Eyecatcher scored a 14/1 success in the Tote Irish EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle at Galway, much to the delight of her owners, the Connery Family Syndicate.

Much of the talk pre-race was about Rosie Alice as she contracted in price from 6/1 into 3/1 in the ring for Charles Byrnes and Davy Russell.

However out on the track the Roger McGrath-trained and David Mullins-ridden Miss Eyecatcher stole the show as she put it to her rivals from the front.

The aforementioned Rosie Alice, and Gracemount closed well on the run-in but they couldn't get to Miss Eyecatcher. The margins at the finish were a length and a quarter and three parts of a length.

"She's a fine mare and she won three bumpers and already has black-type over hurdles," said the winning trainer.

"She ran with credit against some good ones in the winter and she's improved again after a little break.

"She'll go chasing soon enough and though this was a competitive race she'd earned her chance.

"They've been very lucky owners (the Connery Family Syndicate) and hopefully they've got a lot to look forward to."

D.E. Splaine, rider of Touch Of Gold trained by Michael G. Kennedy, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount ran freely in the early part of this race and made a bad mistake at the second hurdle.

(AM & EM)