Dingle delivers on first Irish visit

Jockey Rex Dingle visited Ireland for the first time today and won Punchestown's Close Brothers Irish EBF (Mares) Handicap Chase on Lilith (8/1) for his employer trainer Anthony Honeyball.

Dingle, whose biggest win was on Indefatigable in the 2020 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Hurdle, chased the leaders on the daughter of Stowaway who improved past free-going leader Minx Tiara at the third last and kept going to beat runner-up Western Zara by five lengths.

Trainer Honeyball later reported “we felt the ground might be a bit quick for her but they do such a good job watering and it was definitely on the easy side. We had no options at home for her so it was this or not run.

“The gallop they went up front, we could have all fallen in a heap but she ran a cracker.

“It was all about today, we'll give her a summer break now and see how she progresses over fences next season. She's still on an okay mark, there is a £35,000 race at Hereford in mid-December that we might have a go at.”

He added “we had a winner here last year, love coming here and we've done well in the handicaps. We had another one beaten a short-head and a neck in a similar race.”

Quotes from Gary Carson