Pelerin wins the Cooley for Botti & Harley

Pelerin ran out a comfortable winner of the feature at Dundalk this evening, the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cooley Stakes, scoring under Martin Harley for Marco Botti.

The chestnut daughter of Shamardal won on her debut at Kempton last October and followed up on her handicap debut at Thirsk in May.

She was beaten by just a neck in a Listed contest at Newbury in June and performed with credit on her three starts since.

Available at 11/2 last night she opened on-course at just 9/2 before being backed into 10/3 favouritism at the off.

Settled in mid-division she was sixth entering the straight and came with her challenge on the outer under two furlongs out.

She was ridden to the front a furlong from home and kept on well from there to score comfortably by two and a quarter lengths. Sea Coast (8/1) kept on to take second under Shane Foley for Mick Halford while Slipper Orchid (11/2), also for Halford, was a head back in third under Conor Hoban.

Martin Harley said afterwards: “She did it very nicely and picked up very well.

“She's been a little bit disappointing since Newbury. She was very unlucky in Newbury when she flew home.

“She came there easily in Newmarket the other week but didn't pick up. She does have a good turn of foot and put it to bed and won very easily today. That was more like it.

“She stays ten furlongs. She settles well and you can put her anywhere you want. They went a nice gallop and it was a nice cleanly run race. She won very well.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson