Anna Bunina records consecutive wins

Cheltenham Festival also-ran Anna Bunina registered consecutive wins today at Sligo as the John McConnell trained mare made most of the running to win the Martin Reilly Motors Rated Novice Hurdle under 7lbs claimer Simon Torrens.

The French-bred daughter of Poet's Voice won four times on the flat in Britain when trained by Jedd O'Keeffe and having been placed at listed level on hurdles debut last February, was subsequently pulled up in the mares' novice hurdle at the Cheltenham festival.

Anna Bunina returned to winning ways with an 11 lengths win from subsequent Galway festival winner Guinevere at Cork in July and today made virtually all, despite racing keenly on the tight circuit under capable rider Torrens.

McConnell later commented “it was a tight little race, like a handicap and we were regretting taking her out of Galway last week when Guinevere went and won.

“She's not big but she's a big heart. and she has a lot of ability.

“I'd say she's better going left-handed - she hung out slightly in Cork and and she hung out here and most of her wins on the Flat were going left-handed as well but I'm delighted with her.

“I'd say she might end up in the Lartigue Hurdle (at Listowel). She has black-type as well from her first run over hurdles and if we had more like her and (stablemate) Go Another One we'd be laughing.”

Well-named Anna Bunina (by Poet's Voice, out of Russian Society) was a poet and the first female Russian writer to make a living from literary work.

Quotes from Mark Nunan