McDonagh has welcome winner

Shesonlyahorse is certainly a game horse as she repelled Get Off The Stage and Chasing Shadows at Galway to run out the winner of the cancercarewest.ie mares maiden hurdle.

There were plenty in with chances coming to the home straight in this two-mile race, but it was Shesonlyahorse (6/1) and Andrew Lynch who jumped into the lead two out. At this juncture nothing was going better than Chasing Shadows on the outside.

After jumping the last, Shesonlyahorse kept finding more as Chasing Shadows (11/4) wilted and indeed it was left to 6/1 shot Get Off The Stage to stay on from off the pace into second, but she was a length and three quarters down at the line.

Trainer Michael (Kevin) McDonagh said: “She is tough and she stays at it well. We’ll keep her hurdling now for the time being and we’ll try and sneak another one.

“She is well handicapped over fences and was unlucky not to win a point-to-point. She didn’t stay the trip.

“That might break our luck as we’ve had a lot of seconds and thirds.”

McDonagh had his first winner for 404 days or 75 runs.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes)