Windsor Queen and Mikey Fogarty© Photo Healy Racing
Windsor Queen proved popular with punters this morning and she kept her backers happy when making all in Limerick’s two mile maiden hurdle.
Mikey Fogarty (a jockey change for Mark Enright who had a fall this morning) was on board the three-year-old filly and took several lengths out of the chasing pack before the second last and that advantage was crucial as Cassells Rock stayed on powerfully from the final flight, but went down by a length and a half.
Windsor Queen had been 4/1 in trading before racing and was backed down to 9/4 favourite on the off. Cassells Rock was showing his first form in taking second at 14/1 for Tony Martin and Brian O’Connell. Wood Breizh (11/4) was a length and a quarter back in third.
“She’s a really really nice mare. She’s so consistent and has never run a poor race. Today was as heavy as it could be and I think she would go on anything,” trainer Prunella Dobbs said.
“We’ll keep her to mares’ novice races. This place has always been good to me. I’ve had plenty of success here.”
Windsor Queen had been third on both her previous runs in maiden hurdles. She won a flat handicap in Roscommon in May.
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes