Autumn Shades and Jonathan Burke jump the last© Photo Healy Racing
Trainer Mark Molloy registered his racecourse winner for over four years when his Autumn Shades landed the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Mares Maiden Hurdle at Downpatrick today, under in-form rider Jonathan Burke.
A winner on her point-to-point debut last April, the daughter of Vinnie Roe stayed on well in the closing stages to see off the challenge of Kanjo
Afterwards Thurles based Molloy, who trains mostly point-to-pointers and was recording his first winner since The Paddy premium in October 2009 stated "she deserved that as I thought in Punchestown she didn't deserve the fall she had.
"People were telling me to up her in trip, but I thought after Navan she didn't stay. She has plenty of pace and I think a helluva lot of this mare, that's why I kept her. She's a chaser but we might find another hurdle race for her next."
By Tom Weekes, quotes from Michael Graham
