Court gets right verdict in Sligo finale

Court Adjourned made a decisive move away from the third last to spring a shock in the concluding St Angela's College Handicap Chase at Sligo.

Paddy O'Hanlon tracked the leaders on the 20/1 shot in the three-miler before letting her jump to the front four from home.

Paul Stafford 's charge took a bit of a chance at the penultimate fence when holding a clear advantage and was low at the last but galloped on strongly on the run-in for a nine length win.

The Sean Gallagher-owned mare was making her second start for the Oldtown-based handler, having been a well-beaten seventh on her return at Wexford nine days ago.

Stafford said:- “It was a a little bit unexpected. I don’t normally run horses back as quick. Ideally I’d have given her two weeks.

“I just freshened her up after she ran and we didn’t do an awful lot of work and it just seems to suit her that way. She just seems to be happy in herself.

“It was a surprise because I thought maybe she’d want this (run) again, but because there’s not that many races for her in this grade we came here. Normally she’d be on the boat and I’d be in Hexham or Perth or somewhere and I’d have found something for her there.

“I thought when Paddy hit the front he’d gone too early, but in fairness to her, in the bits of work she’s done for me, she stays galloping and she’d won a point-to-point so, at the end of the day, I had to leave it up to him and she kept going well.”

(Quotes by Mark Nunan)