Belhaven gives her best in Sligo

No Niki No made a bold bid to pinch the fillies handicap in Sligo off the front, but she was gunned down late on as Joseph O'Brien's Belhaven pipped Whimsy

Ben Coen poached a lead of some 15 lengths with five furlongs to go on No Niki No and was hard at work on his mount with a reduced advantage approaching the straight.

She still held a narrow lead deep into the final furlong, but the closers were coming and Belhaven and Whimsy were the two main protagonists.

They thrust for the line and it was Belhaven (17/2) and Dylan Browne McMonagle in the centre who got it by a short head from Whimsy (4/1) and Wayne Hassett on the outer. You Owe me Money (15/2) came through for third as No Niki No weakened with the line looming.

Browne McMonagle said: "It was fairly plain sailing for me. I just wanted to get her to switch off early. On her first run back for us, I just wanted her doing things right and have her coming home today. It worked out lovely.

"We didn't go mad early and when Ben (Coen, on No Niki No) got away, the boys were chasing him from a long way out and they got racing early. I was able to sneak along and just keep tracking as best I could. It was always going to play into my hands late on, I got the splits and the filly was good and tough, she got to the line well.

"It's great for the owners (Magic Mares Syndicate), they're a great bunch of lads, and they couldn't have got off to a better start."

Additional reporting by Mark Nunan