Raintree and Daniel Redmond winning the fillies maiden© Photo Healy Racing
Raintree continued a good recent run for Curragh trainer Patrick Prendergast when taking the J J Kavanagh & Sons Fillies Maiden at Leopardstown.
All five runners were virtually in a line early in the final furlong but the daughter of Casamento dug deep under Daniel Redmond.
The well-backed 5/1 chance (from 13/2 on track) stayed on best inside the final 150 yards to beat 6/4 favourite Shareva by three quarters of a length. Simiyna was just a neck further back in third.
Prendergast, who went on to complete his second double in the space of five days, said “She goes on the ground and claiming five when they get a ride like that is a huge thing on the ground.
“She is going to improve a lot as she got badly setfast on me two months ago and it’s a credit to my staff, and Red Mills gave me great help working on her diet.
“It’s a lactic acid build up and all the muscle enzymes are hugely elevated and they are very sore. As soon as you try and exercise her it stiffens up again.
“It means the staff have to get her out of the stable two or three times a day, exercised her on Sundays and during the snow.
“Daniel is with Joseph O’Brien but is coming into me one morning a week, and I’m thankful to Joseph to let him. That was a good ride.”
