The Perch springs surprise for McKenna & Farragher

The Perch made the breakthrough on her fourteenth start, as she sprang a 16/1 surprise in the Sean Judge Memorial Handicap.

Trained in Co Tyrone by Pat McKenna, the daughter of Camacho was rated just 38 when third behind Eastern Racer in a claimer over the course and distance last month.

Now on a mark of 43, she was settled in mid-division by Adam Farragher, but took closer order on the approach to the straight.

She was ridden in pursuit of the leader with under two furlongs to race, and got to the front inside the final 150 yards, keeping on well from there to score by two and a half lengths. Footsteps At Dawn (3/1) came through to take second under Chris Hayes for Shane Nolan, while Wild Shot (13/8fav), who was seeking his fourth win in-a-row at the venue, faded in the closing stages, and was another neck back in third.

Emmett McKenna, son of the winning trainer, said afterwards: "We probably didn't expect it but she ran fairly well when she was a bit out of the handicap in the claimer. The way it worked out she was 15lb or 20lb wrong with a couple of horses.

"We thought she would maybe run into a place but we didn't expect her to win like that.

"We were running her here just after Christmas and she didn't seem to be letting herself down on it but she had been running over a mile and four and a mile and three, and we just took a chance dropping back to a mile last week and she ran a cracker and we said we would bounce her out again.

"I would have been happy with fourth or fifth. It was a hot enough race - I think Noel's horse (Wild Shot) had won three in a row. To do it like that there may be more to come hopefully.

"She'll go the turf now - there's a race in a couple of weeks over in Ayr. We'll play it by ear and see what happens.

"He (Patrick McKenna) currently has three (in training), the other two run at the Curragh on Monday. It's a small operation so any win is a good win.

"We are in Benburb, 45 minutes down the road (from here)."

Additional reporting by Michael Graham