American Bar and Bill Lee (yellow cap)© Photo Healy Racing
Expensive yearling American Bar (13/8f) won on her debut today, overcoming a wide draw and Listowel's tight turns to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Fillies) Maiden for trainer Paddy Twomey and jockey Bill Lee.
Bought for €300,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale last September, the No Nay Never-filly today missed the break and raced in rear, but quickened smartly to lead inside the final furlong, beating twice-placed Cradle Of Love by a half-length.
Afterwards Twomey said “I wanted to go to the Curragh last week but didn't feel we were ready to start racing and that race came a bit soon for her. I was a bit nervous coming here with a debutante but the next fillies' maiden was here.
“When you miss the break here it is usually game over but she was able to overcome it.
“We haven't done loads with her but she has trained well all spring and I felt she was nice. She has learned a lot this week, jumped out of the stalls three times and I hope with that under her belt she is a good filly to go forwards.
“She is in the Airlie Stud Stakes on Derby weekend and I was hoping she'd do something like this today, with a view to going there.”
It was Twomey's third course success and regarding his other winning Listowel debutante French Acclaim, he added “he (French Acclaim) did something similar, was drawn in the carpark and was last at halfway. He ended up being third in the Derby so it takes a pretty good horse to do that.”
