Lady Giselle gets up to beat Queen Of Alba© Photo Healy Racing
Lady Giselle wore down Queen Of Alba late on to win going away by a length and three parts in the extended mile handicap in Limerick.
Chris Hayes was in the plate on the 8/1 shot. Off the home bend Lady Giselle made eyecatching headway from mid-division to set off in pursuit of Queen Of Alba. The pair made relentless headway and picked off the front-runner with a half a furlong to go.
Successful trainer John Jo Walsh said of the four-year-old filly: “Chris gave her a good ride. She had a lot of weight and would probably prefer longer. We’ll probably look to a mile and a quarter the next day.”
Lady Giselle carried 9-10 to victory. The last time she got her head in front came in Listowel in June last year in a mile auction maiden. She was dropped 4lbs in the handicap to a mark of 80 for today’s assignment. It was the first-time Hayes had partnered her in her career.
Queen Of Alba for Thomas and Rory Cleary outran her odds of 16/1 when getting caught late on and finishing second. There was a seven length gap back to 7/2 joint favourite Kavaco in third. He had been a market mover from 7s this morning. The other 7/2 joint favourite, Conan’s Rock, was fourth.
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
