Moonball scores for Cromwell and Fox

Gavin Cromwell and Ger Fox teamed up to land the Tramore Amusement & Leisure Park Handicap Hurdle with Moonball

The 8/1 chance was having her first run in a handicap following three runs in maidens, and was produced to challenge approaching the penultimate flight.

The four-year-old asserted before the last, and kept on well to score by two and a half lengths. Desertmore Dreamer finished well to take the runner-up spot, while Every Chance didn’t help his cause with a mistake at the final flight and was a further three quarters of a length away in third. Island Villa completed the places in fourth.

Fox said, "Gavin bought her from England, from the sales. We thought she was a nice sort of a filly, but she was very hard on herself and very free at home.

"We put a special bit on her just to help her. We ran her the last day at Cork, we dropped her in to get her switched off, but she was too keen early on, and kind of ran herself into the ground.

"Today we said we'd let her bounce out to make it, but they went too quick, and she just stayed galloping. She is a very good jumper and she jumped away there. She handled the sharp track, it just suited her today, and things fell right for her."

(DM & AM)