Lightning Amber toughs it out for Weld

Dermot Weld's Lightning Amber won a battle with No Say Ever to take the honours in the apprentice handicap at Leopardstown.

She was produced between horses to lead at the furlong pole, but No Say Ever was up for the challenge on her inner.

Lightning Amber retained a narrow lead throughout the final furlong and held it as she flashed past the post a head to the good at 16/5.

No Say Ever, the 3/1 favourite, had to settle for second, a length and a quarter in front of Laegan Gaeilge at 14/1.

“She travelled away lovely, we didn't go overly fast early and that played into her hands as a mile-and-two is just about as far as she'd get on that ground,” said jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle.

“She won well, she had to battle a bit but as you could see she put her head down and she won well at the line.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson