Hikari hacks up in Wexford

Dermot Weld’s Hikari was always going best in the extended mile and three maiden at Wexford and she stretched away in impressive fashion when asked to go and win her race by Pat Smullen.

The three-year-old daughter of Galileo travelled smoothly to hit the front entering the home straight whereupon the further she went the bigger the winning margin became.

It was clocked at 15 lengths and those punters who went for an course gamble from evens to 8/11 were counting the proverbial ‘readies’ before the filly passed the post.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Though took second at 11/8, three and three parts in front of third-placed Al Fahidi (14/1).

“It was a very, very weak race. She travelled well and once I gave her a crack she picked up very well as you'd expect her to after her run at Cork," Pat Smullen commented.

Brian Gleeson owns the filly and he added: "I have a full-brother to her in training with Dermot as well and the dam is in-foal to Sea The Stars."

Hikari had been second on debut in Cork to Alive Alive Oh in March. Tommy Stack’s filly subsequently won a Listed race in Navan in May by six lengths.

Additional reporting by Donal Murphy