Dun Na Sead and Oisin McSweeney won for owners Kildare Racing Syndicate and trainer Danny Murphy © Photo Healy Racing
The Danny Murphy-trained Dun Na Sead proved too hot to handle for her rivals as she sprang a 25/1 shock in the featured Al Basti Pat Smullen Mercury Stakes at Dundalk this evening.
The speedy daughter of Starspangledbanner bounced out in front in the five furlong contest and she had her rivals at work over a furlong from home.
Oisin McSweeney asked his mount for an effort inside the final furlong and she responded gamely, keeping on strongly to record a two-and-a-quarter length win over Bouttemont
The winner was officially rated 19lb lower than the runner-up and was recording her fifth career victory, three of those have now come over course and distance.
Murphy said: "I said to Fran (Berry) and Kevin (O'Ryan, Racing TV), who are always joking with me, 'she'll win!' and they looked at me.
"We got beat in the nursery in the race before and the two-year-old (Moral Turpitude) was working with her, but we missed the break and you cannot miss the break in Dundalk.
"The mares sometimes can really come on as they get older. The guys wanted to cover her from four to five and I said please don't do that because this mare could be a Group animal next year. I will talk to them, but definitely (stay in training).
"She was very unlucky in Tipperary because she was drawn on the wrong side. If she was this side, she would have won.
"I said to my boy (Oisin McSweeney), because I've trained abroad for so long, 'if you can do 12 seconds for the first furlong, they won't beat you'. I knew the way she jumped out, we had it. She would be tough."
(Quotes by Michael Graham)
