Drish Melody and Joe Doyle© Photo Healy Racing
Drish Melody appreciated the addition of blinkers when storming home inside the final furlong to take the Killarney Park Hotel Handicap.
The daughter of Galileo Gold won a nursery at Dundalk last winter but has plummeted down the ratings since and was racing off a mark of just 49 in this mile event.
Owned and trained by Donal Commins, she did attract some support at prices as big as 40/1 overnight and was sent off at 16/1. Stormie Outlook made most of the running and looked like she might hold on early in the final furlong but Joe Doyle got a great response from Drish Melody in the final 100 yards to score by two and a half lengths.
The 100/30 favourite Yokkell didn’t enjoy the clearest of passages in the straight but flew home inside the final furlong to finish just a short-head further away in third.
The trainer's son Paul Commins said, "It has been a long time coming. We were delighted with her at two (years old) in Dundalk but whatever was going on, she didn't take to it again. The first-time blinkers obviously did the trick and she got there lovely in the end.
"We knew she had it, she was working brilliantly and we were happy with her in Listowel when the ground was a bit quick.
"We bred her ourselves but couldn't get her sold and we'll now consider going back to Dundalk. She'll have a break now as it has been a long year for her."
Quotes by Tom Weekes
