Saddle Her Up off the mark for Fitzgerald

Saddle Her Up got the better of True Testimony with the pair drawing clear in the mares' maiden hurdle over an extended 2m2f at Fairyhouse.

True Testimony rallied to serve it up to Saddle Her Up between the final two flights, however, the latter jumped the last with a narrow lead and was driven home by Sean Cleary-Farrell.

The winner certainly didn't go unbacked having traded as big as 20/1 this morning before being returned at an SP of 8/1.

She beat True Testimony (11/2) by a length and a-half with Joya Del Mar (9/4) home in a remote third.

Trainer Barry Fitzgerald said: “She had a great run in Leopardstown (fourth), I dropped her back two furlongs and she stayed it perfect today and Sean gave her a lovely ride.

“She can be a bit keen and she has to make the running but today she settled in behind the front-runner, relaxed from there and did everything right.

“She ran well in Galway and she was fourth behind Ballyburn, although well beaten. Dropping back into mares maiden hurdle, that's her level.

“Hopefully she'll go on and do a bit more for the owner. Clodagh is from Fermoy, she's no relation.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson