Nell's Well and Mark McDonagh win a Grade 3© Photo Healy Racing
Nell's Well scooted right away from her rivals to land the Grade 3 novice hurdle in Cork for trainer Sean O'Brien.
The 25/1 chance travelled sweetly to pick off Dedanann at the second last and readily went on. She was a good five lengths clear at the last and wasn't troubled in storming home by eight lengths at 25/1. Churchstonewarrior the 6/5 favourite, came through for a never-dangerous second as Dedanann dropped to third. at 33/1.
Trainer Sean O'Brien said of the seven-year-old mare: "Nearly every year there's a small entry for this race, and I remember having a nice mare years ago, Outlaw Princess, placed to Mossbank in it. Black-type is what it's all about. The man that owns her, when she won her point to point he had no interest in selling her and he wanted to have a runner. Back then, when she won, it was his first winner.
"So, to make a long story short, she always wanted a trip but the programme of races that are there, between here and next January, forced our hand to come here. It was either that or go to Punchestown for a handicap. But, even when she ran in handicaps, she was out on her head.
"I said to Mark (McDonagh) going out, to ride her to get home and try to pick up the pieces. I thought he did that better than I could have envisaged. Did I expect that? No. Did I expect her to be placed? On her handicap mark, no. But three miles on soft ground, and you're just hoping one or two don't step up to the mark, and that's what happened. The race fell apart, and she just kept galloping, and her jumping was unbelievable.
"But he never got involved, he put her asleep through the race. He had walked the track and he just said that down the paint, if he could get real tight, he thought he could make nice ground without being inside in terrible ground. And that's exactly what happened. I thought he gave her a peach of a ride. It was his first graded winner.
"We couldn't claim the 7lbs but to be fair to the man who owns her, Pat Casey, he said he still wanted him to ride her, that he knows her well and that he gets on well with her. And I think it made all the difference as he gave her a great ride.
"We came here for black-type and we have a bit more now. We don't get these days too often, so it's fantastic."
Additional reporting by Tom Weekes
