Gibney completes Downpatrick-Wexford double

Darragh O'Keeffe steered his seventh winner in the last eight days at Wexford today on Trixie Mc which completed an across-the-card double for trainer Tom Gibney in the Jim Ryan Racecourse Services Handicap Hurdle (division II) at Wexford.

The daughter of Yeats justified 5/2 favouritism to gain her first success today, and was Gibney's second of the day having earlier sent Magic Piper to win a Downpatrick handicap hurdle under jockey Jack Foley.

Following Trixie Mc's win, the trainer stated "she really deserved that. She was so unlucky through the winter not to get a race. Twice she came up against two very well-handicapped horses - once is bad enough, but twice is hard to take. She does it the hard way, she is very highly-strung and is hard on herself.

"I was going to take her out at least three different times today but Darragh convinced me to leave her in and I'm glad he did.

"She didn't like the ground and it was hell of a performance from her. She can cope with the ground but it's definitely not what she wants.

"Her owner, Tom Geoghegan from Westmeath, actually got her covered a couple of weeks ago, but I'm hoping she is not in foal! Tom has put a lot into her and it's great to see him getting a result."

Quotes from Donal Murphy