Oxx takes the Connacht Oaks with Kerisa

Kerisa provided her trainer John Oxx with a welcome win, as she took the feature race at Sligo this evening, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Connacht Oaks Fillies Handicap.

The three-year-old daughter of Azamour won her maiden on the fifth time of asking at Leopardstown in April, and she wasn’t beaten far on her first two handicap outings at Navan and the Curragh respectively.

Ridden by Declan McDonogh, the bay filly was sent off at 7/1, and she improved on the outside as they approaching the straight for the final time.

She hit the front a furlong from home, and was driven out from there to hold off the late challenge of Drifting Mist by a head.

The runner-up, who was well supported on-course (11/2 to 9/2), kept on best of all, but it was too little too late, and the grey filly had to settle for second under Shane Foley for Mick Halford.

The Harry Rogers trained Strandfield Lady was a big drifter in the market, and having opening at 15/2 last night with Paddy Power, she went off a 14/1 chance.

She got a dream run through on the inside under Connor King, but she was outpaced in the closing stages and she had to settle for third. Fleur De Nuit was sent off the 5/2 favourite, after she finished second to Unaccompanied at Galway on Friday.

The John Blehan trained eight-year-old could only manage a disappointing fifth today under Johnny Murtagh.

Declan McDonogh said afterwards: "She handled the ground well, it is quite dead out there.

"She was idling a bit in front and was pulling up from 100 yards out. She deserved that as she had plenty of good placed form."

Additional reporting by Alan Magee