Lady Fandango (noseband) is ridden out by Declan McDonogh to beat Cirin Toinne© Photo Healy Racing
Lady Fandango came from last to first to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap under Declan McDonogh for Gordon Elliott.
A close-up third to Millefiori on her last start at Galway, the four-year-old daughter of Holy Roman Emperor was available at 11/1 last night, opening on-course at 13/2, before going off a 6/1 chance.
Slow into stride, she was settled in rear, and was switched to the stands side rail in the straight. She was ridden with over a furlong to race and soon made good progress, getting to the front in the closing stages, prevailing by a neck. Cirin Toinne (5/1jfav), who was prominent throughout, had to settle for second under Kevin Manning for Jim Bolger, while Little Prairie (12/1) was a length back in third under Ronan Whelan for Tim Doyle. Embiyra was the other joint-favourite (backed from 8's on-course), and she finished a disappointing sixth under Conor Hoban for Mick Halford.
McDonogh said afterwards: "She's light-mouthed and her head came up after leaving the stalls and burst me in the face. I had to just accept it and was lucky they went fast and came back to me. That's as far as she wants to go, and she led at the right time."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
