A fine shot of Ratheniska and Nina Carberry in full flow at Wexford© Photo Healy Racing
Twenty five to one were the odds of reward for a Tom Taaffe winner yesterday, Cherish The Pear at Kilbeggan, a price the trainer described as "ridiculous." Plenty seemed to know that it would be similarly ridiculous to let the stable's Ratheniska go unbacked for division one of the Borro Mares Flat Race at Wexford. She justified the faith of those that backed her from 7/1 into 5/1 in the hands of Nina Carberry.
Only back in action on Tipperary's Thursday runner-up, Ashford Wood, Carberry had of course been on the sidelines after breaking her collarbone off Another Palm in the Ulster National at Downpatrick in early April.
Carberry set sail for home two down on Ratheniska, a newcomer by Well Chosen (in the news lately through Wrong Turn) and she stayed on well in the final furlong to comfortably beat Willie Mullins' easy-to-back Tirauli by a length and three parts.
Taaffe said: "I'm delighted with that. It's great for the owners. They've had her for six years. I sent her home last winter as she needed good ground. She has an important page and she's a half-sister to Burton Port (2012 Gold Cup fourth).
"She's so relaxed and hopefully please God she'll come on again for the run.
"She's a real chasing mare. She'll go hurdling now but Nina said she'd win a winners bumper.
"The breeding shed will be important.
"I wanted to run her last winter but we couldn't get the good ground.
"The owners (the Grange Park Partnership) are from the Stradbally area of County Laois."
Meanwhile Carberry remarked: "It's great to get that out of the way. She'll probably be better on a big galloping track and she was a bit tight for room at stages." (DM & EM)
