Wychwood Whisper caused a 20/1 surprise to win on handicap debut at Dundalk today as the Michael Halford trained filly scored from a rating of 49 in the Join On Instagram @dundalk_stadium Handicap.

The daughter of Belardo was well held on three previous maiden outings but today, under veteran jockey Niall McCullagh, travelled well and led inside the final furlong for a half length win over Eagle Terrace

Trainer Halford later stated “it’s great to get a bracket for her and I’m delighted for (owner) Michael Enright who is a good supporter of ours. He lets you do your own thing and trusts your judgement.

“This filly was late maturing and we sat on her for a long time before we ran her. The patience has paid off and she’s after getting a bit stronger.

“She handled the surface and now that she’s got her head in front off that kind of rating she should be able to progress from there.

“I’d say that’s a good trip for her and she’s a filly with a nice pedigree. We’ll keep going with her and see how we get on.”

Quotes from Alan Magee