Mall Dini proves popular in bumper

Mall Dini made a promising debut under rules at Limerick earlier this month, and went one better to justify 7/4 favouritism in the Viva La UCC Ladies INH Flat Race at Cork.

The Milan gelding won both his point-to-point starts earlier this year at Belharbour and Killaloe, and beat all bar the odds-on Ice Cold Soul when switched to a bumper at Limerick.

The Pat Kelly-trained five-year-old was sent to the front approaching the straight by Liz Lalor, and kept on gamely under pressure to beat Dallas Cowboy by three quarters of a length with Waterville Rock another length away in third.

Lalor said, "He feels like a lovely, honest horse and keeps galloping. He went on the ground no bother at all - I walked it and struggled!"

(TW & AM)