Shelannga (green) gets the better of National Glory© Photo Healy Racing
Shelannga got up close home to beat market rival National Glory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
Second on her last two starts at Cork and Naas, the Dermot Weld trained daughter of Leroidesanimaux was sent off an easy to back 11/8 chance (from 5/4) this afternoon.
Prominent in the early stages, she was eventually settled in the third by Declan McDonogh.
She ridden to challenge in second from over a furlong out, staying on strongly inside the final 100 yards, getting up to score by a neck.
National Glory, backed from 11/8 into 6/4 favouritism on-course, was sent for home over a furlong out, but he couldn't hold off the winner, and had to settle for second under Donnacha O'Brien for his brother Joseph.
The front two were six lengths clear of the Gordon Elliott trained Caldbeck (8/1) in third.
McDonogh said afterwards: "We went hard and we sort of went sprinting pace and maybe it just got her out of her comfort zone the first two or three furlongs. I was happy to come back and give Donnacha the trail in behind Rory. We were going too hard and it helped me finish.
"She stays good and is a genuine filly. This is a difficult track as there are a lot of ridges in the straight, and it took a while for her to get balanced and organised.
"She will do better over a furlong further and maybe some kinder ground. She ran into a good filly the last day and it’s nice to get a bracket for her."
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
