Simply Sideways contributed five victories to what was a memorable 2023 campaign for Tim Doyle and the Sir Prancealot mare got the Moyne handler off the mark for this season in the featured Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Fillies) Handicap.

Completing a double for rider Wayne Hassett, the 7/2 chance raced close to the pace and came through to lead over a furlong out to gain a half-length verdict over Independent Expert

“That's great. We were worried coming into this year that she was so highly rated, had she any business, but we were happy with her first few runs,” said Doyle of his wife Claire's homebred.

“She was only beaten a length-and-a-half the last day in the Curragh and we think she's best coming off a bend.

“She gets through that ground very well, she's a little star and she tries hard.

“We'd love to get a bit of black-type as the year goes on so we'll see, she's not far away (from that level) now. We could look at some of those fillies races over a mile or a mile-and-one.

“We'd like to win a decent handicap if we could too, there are some nice pots through the year worth a good few quid.

“At her handicap mark she probably needs a cut in the ground. She'll go on any ground but she's best with a cut in the ground."

Quotes from Gary Carson