Famous proves too good for Creme Nearly Famous got up close home to deny the 11/10 favourite Creme De La in the concluding Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden. Having run well on her first three starts, the daughter of Rip Van Winkle had a far from clear passage on her most recent outing at Galway. She was hampered turning into the straight there, keeping on well in the closing stages, finishing fifth in the race won by Nonetheless. Available at 10's last night, she opened on-course at just 5/1, touching 4's, before going off a 9/2 chance. Second in the early stages, she soon improved to dispute the lead with the market leader. She was ridden with two furlongs to race and dropped to second, before she rallied gamely inside the final furlong, getting up to score by half a length under Colm O'Donoghue. Creme De La, who attempted to make all, had to settle for second under Pat Smullen for Dermot Weld, while newcomer Hibiscus was a further three parts of a length back in third. Jessica Harrington said afterwards: "She was very unlucky at Galway where she was challenging on the inside and another horse came back onto her. These things happen in Galway but she's a hardy filly who goes on any ground. She stays a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half." Additional reporting by Alan Magee
