Emerita (Pat Smullen) storms clear of Tap Dancing© Photo Healy Racing
Emerita was well-touted prior to her debut when fifth to the dead-heaters Dalasiri and Gypsy King on soft ground at the Curragh last month.
The Aga Khan home-bred daughter of Mizzen Much encountered much faster conditions in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, and she took full advantage to record a decisive victory.
Pat Smullen sent the grey past evens favourite Tap Dancing early in the straight, and the 2/1 favourite stayed on strongly to beat that rival by an impressive seven lengths. Focas Mor was a further four and a half lengths adrift in third.
Winning trainer Dermot Weld said, “Hopefully she’s a filly with a big future and a stakes filly in the making. She is crying out for a mile and a half but is a big filly and will be a nice one for next year.
“Fairyhouse have produced beautiful ground today. It’s super summer ground.”
The master of Rosewell House was recording his 55th winner of the season, and he also had news of another recently successful filly saying, “Starlet will probably go for the Galtres Stakes at York next month.”
Weld’s Sailors Swan met some interference late on in the previous Belgrave Stakes but he commented, “I think he just wasn’t good enough and he’ll probably go for a handicap next.”
