Wakanda springs a surprise in Sligo opener

Ben Dalton recorded his first win since early April, as he took the opener at Sligo, the Family Day At Sligo 14th July Maiden Hurdle, aboard the Tom Taaffe trained Wakanda The four-year-old son of Westerner made his debut in a bumper at Naas in January, finishing a well beaten tenth of eleven to Grecian Tiger on soft to heavy ground. Running for the first time since, the bay gelding was sent off at 18/1 on his hurdling debut. Approaching the second last it appeared a two horse race as Phantom Of Plenty and Old Castletown were well ahead of their rivals. However Wakanda came out of the pack as the front duo began to tire, and he hit the front at the last going clear on the run-in to record an easy seven length success. Roman General (14/1) kept on to take second under David Splaine for Liam Cusack while Phantom Of Plenty (3/1) was four and a half lengths back in third under Andrew Lynch for Willie McCreery. Courage was sent off the 5/4 favourite, but he yet again disappointing, trailing home in fifth under Davy Russell for Charles Byrnes. Tom Taaffe said via the phone afterwards: "He is a lovely horse and he just wanted that nice ground. "It was too soft at Naas the first time and we will look at a novice hurdle for him now and work from there. "We could look at Galway if it doesn’t come to soon." Additional reporting by Gary Carson