Burke bridges gap of over 12 years

Like An Open Book was a big price at 20/1 given some of her form and she got off the mark at the seventh time of asking in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Mares) INH Flat Race at Clonmel.

Early exertions eventually told but Tadhgs Girl looked a winner through the closing couple of furlongs under Jamie Codd for Gordon Elliott.

Trainer/breeder/rider John Burke hadn't ridden a winner on the racecourse proper, from limited opportunities, since Tell Me See triumphed at Naas in November 2004.

On the mark in point-to-points since then, Burke hasn't lost it and he conjured a great late run out of his sister Elaine's Well Chosen seven-year-old and she got up in the closing stages to beat Tadhgs Girl by half a length.

They left Welmeetintheoffice twenty three lengths back in third.

Burke, a brother to jockeys Martin and Julie, said: "She ran well at Limerick the last day but I thought the ground had gone on her. She got through it well, and her experience helped her in the finish."

(AM & EM)