Galianna stays on best to beat Credit Box

The Pat Flynn trained Galianna stayed on best under Mark Walsh to take the Low Low EBF Mares Handicap Hurdle.

The 8yo daughter of Galileo won her maiden hurdle at Navan in March and mixed it between the level and hurdles since.

After disappointing on her last start at Cork behind Our Girl Lucy, she was sent off at 10/1 this afternoon.

She was waited with in the early stages before she closed on the leaders three out.

She was fourth before the straight and soon closed further under pressure to get on terms at the last where she made a mistake.

She soon led on the run-in and stayed on best from there to score by three and three parts of a length. Credit Box attempted to assert approaching the second last but she couldn’t hold off the winner after the last and had to settle for second under Alan Keane for his father Maurice at 14/1.

Lilymile finished a further two and a half lengths back in third for Pauline Gavin and Alan Crowe at 12/1.

Frank Berry, racing manager to winning owner JP McManus, said afterwards: "She has been knocking on the door a few times and she coped well with the conditions.

"The ground is probably a little loose after the rain. It is great to get a race out of her."

Berry went on to talk about JP McManus owned horses entered in the Kerry National saying: “We only have two horses entered in the Kerry National but we may only have one runner as Alpine Eagle will definitely run."

(On-course reporting by Alan Magee)