Mooneista and Ronan Whelan (left) win from Perfect Match (yellow cap) © Photo Healy Racing
The opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies’ Maiden went to the 9/4 favourite Mooneista who led inside the final furlong and kept on well to beat the promising reserve Perfect Match (50/1) by three quarters of a length.
The slow-starting 20/1 chance The Blue Garter kept on nicely for third another two and a half lengths away.
In a messy race where a few met trouble in running, Ronan Whelan had a fairly trouble-free passage on the 91-rated winner who was fully deserving of a first success after running consistently well all summer.
The Dandy Man filly had been runner-up three times in six previous outings, and was a good third in the lucrative Ballyhane Stakes at Naas last month where she picked up 30K for her efforts.
Winning trainer Jack Davison said: "She had shown me a lot of potential from the start, since I first began to train her, and with that in mind I really asked her a couple of questions with the company I ran her in early on in the season.
"She delivered and she got her black-type, and she ran third in the Ballyhane. I was anxious to break the maiden there, so it is nice to get that today.
"I'd say she is probably half a stone better when there is ease in the ground - she just seems to really sink into it and accelerate.
"The conditions were right today, but then again we had to go and do it.
"It looked a strong maiden on paper, but I still thought she was the one to beat and thankfully I was proven right."
Additional reporting by Michael Graham
