Gemma's Flame bursts into life at Fairyhouse

Gemma's Flame and Jamie Codd landed the mares' bumper in Fairyhouse for handler Hugh Finegan.

She was well clear passing the five pole and the pursuers started to get busy inside the final half mile.

She was shaken up by Codd with three furlongs to travel and was still four lengths in front turning for home. Westport Lady the 11/10 favourite, cut the gap racing past the two pole but if anything the margin increased by the final furlong as Gemma's Flame kept up the gallop.

She won by two and three quarter lengths at 11/1 having been as big as 22/1 in the morning. Silk And Sand (6/1) was half a length off runner-up Westport Lady.

"We've always thought a lot of her,” Hugh Finegan said.

“Her jumping is a bit slow but she's getting there now. She was going to win a point-to-point but fell in Tyrella and then won her point-to-point.

“She was third in a bumper and we went back to the point-to-pointing just to get her jumping right but she's coming now and she's a good mare.

“She's seven-year-old but I didn't break her till she was five so that's probably my fault!

“She was always a good mare and maybe it seemed a foolish thing to go back point-to-pointing but I knew if she went over jumps they would be going too fast on the track and she'd never learn.

“We think we have her right now for jumping and hopefully she'll be a nice hurdler.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson