Menindee and Jordan Gainford© Photo Healy Racing
Fermanagh based David Christie completed a Ballinrobe double today as his Menindee (4/1) showed good battling qualities to win the Burke Family Clonbur Memorial Handicap Hurdle (div I) for jockey Jordan Gainford.
The daughter of Yeats made the running but was headed and briefly dropped to fourth jumping the second last, before rallying to eventually regain the lead in the closing stages and beat fast-finishing Gondor Sittingonthefence had taken the lead at the second last but faded to finish third on the run-in.
Afterwards Christie revealed "I targeted this meeting because of the two 2m6f races for Menindee and (earlier winner) Paidi's Passion as they're two staying mares. They both looked as if they might be beaten and then they stayed on again.
"I was delighted when I saw that the races were going to be on the outer loop, which was going to make it more of a staying track and they're two point-to-point mares who want three miles. They both had good runs last time out.”
Regarding Menindee, he added: "Jordan said he missed the second last and if he got that right he'd have been fine, but he said that being headed was actually of benefit as she'd something to aim at. She jumped the last well and really battled."
Quotes from Mark Nunan
