Marakesh and Bill Lee© Photo Healy Racing
August's Ebor Handicap winners trainer Henry De Bromhead and jockey Bill Lee combined to land Gowran's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden today with Marakesh (9/2), which scored on her belated career debut.
Four-year-old filly Marakesh was withdrawn from both her intended debut runs, initially at Cork on August 16 - due to unsuitable going, and subsequently at the Curragh eight days later, where she refused to load.
Today the Peter Fitzgerald-owned Decorated Knight-sired filly behaved well, was first to load and, in the race, quickened well to beat Supreme Success by 2.5 lengths.
Magical Zoe credited De Bromhead and Lee with big-race York success on August 24, while
the trainer himself followed-up with Higher Leaves' Sunday success in a Listed race at Longchamp.
Today Lee reported “Marakesh was very straightforward and the last day was just a bit of blip not going in to the stalls. She was good today, travelled well and got me into a lovely position.
“I was just waiting for a gap to open in the straight and when it did she picked up well and galloped out to the line. I thought she won within herself and there is hopefully more to come. She put it to bed easy and was green having a look so you would like to think stepping up to a mile would bring more improvement.”
Quotes from Alan Magee
