Stormy Belle (near side) beating Soffia© Photo Healy Racing
Stormy Belle landed the Irish EBF Supporting Irish Champions Weekend Fillies Handicap for the second successive year at Cork when produced with a well-timed run by Shane Foley.
The Pat Fahy-trained filly was well-backed this morning from 10/1 and sent off a 7/1 chance in this 11-runner seven furlongs test.
Foley gave the daughter of Dandy Man a patient ride, coming home strongly inside the final furlong to head Soffia in the final strides.
A head was the winning margin, with the front-running Honor Oak just a head further away in third.
Fahy said, “The race worked out well but it wasn’t as soft as it was last year so she found it harder.
“We ran her in Galway and she flattened out. The second day she ran there we put a tongue tie on her and she got trapped and only for that she would have been a good second.
“So we came here with the same tactics, tongue tie and drop her in, and we got the result.
“She was a good two-year-old and won her maiden by six lengths but when she came back she was never as good. You would think it wouldn’t have taken me this long to cop on!
“She’s in foal to Elzaam so whatever time we’re allowed she will run up to then. She’s not long in foal.”
