Wood does her mother proud Speckled Wood was a hotpot in the opening mares maiden hurdle and duly got the job done with the minimum of fuss. The Christy Roche-trained mare is a daughter of High Chaparral and former stable star Like-A-Butterfly, who passed away recently. She was sent off 8/11 favourite (from 8/15) having been placed on her two previous outings here over hurdles. Alan Crowe tracked the leaders on the JP McManus'-owned mare as Zara cut out the running in the two-mile contest. Ma Belle Amie took over three from home but always looked a sitting duck as Speckled Wood cruised in behind entering the straight. She was asked to hit the front, in very testing looking conditions, before the final flight and a big leap at the last sealed matters. Crowe only needed to nudge her out to gain a four-and-three-quarter-length victory. “That was grand. She jumped and travelled away and did it well,” said McManus' racing manager Frank Berry. “Her two runs here previously were nice and she likes jumping. She'll go for a handicap or a winners of one next. “It's nice to have one in the family coming along after her mother passing away.” (Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes)
