McConnell's Ally Cay thriving over hurdles

Dual Flat winner Ally Cay has taken really well to jumping and made short work of her seven rivals in the Bar One Racing Rated Novice Hurdle.

The 5-year-old had readily won a maiden at this venue last month before being touched off at Bellewstown, and she was always close to the pace under 7lb claimer Jack Gilligan before going clear on the run to the final flight.

She easily came clear on the run-in to beat Mars Harper by eleven lengths and bring her tally to two wins, a second and a third from four starts in this discipline.

Winning trainer John McConnell said: "She's a great little mare. She loves it around here and obviously stays very well. She has the Flat speed to do them when she needs to.

"She has turned inside out with the hurdling and is unlucky not to be three from her last three.

"She has a long way to go but you'd like to think she will keep improving and is one to look forward to. She stays a bit further.

"I thought she would run well especially with Jack's 7lb and I thought she had a great chance off that mark.

"She's a real tough, hardy filly. She had plenty of racing on the Flat but she just likes this a bit more. She was sweating beforehand but that is just her.

"There's one more (meeting) here so I will have to enter the whole yard! The horses handle it well here and I love it here."

Quotes from Michael Graham