Woodland Garden wins under Seamie Heffernan© Photo Healy Racing
Ballydoyle’s Woodland Garden got off the mark at the third attempt in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden at Gowran.
Seamie Heffernan did the steering on the successful daughter of Galileo, who dwelt, but was soon racing in mid-division.
Woodland Garden made headway into fifth two furlongs out, and soon pushed along she improved to lead and was ridden a furlong out.
From there Aidan O’Brien’s charge stayed on well in the final furlong. O’Brien’s son Joseph supplied the second, Ulster Blackwater a length and three parts back.
“Like all of ours she’s improving after a couple of runs. She has a beautiful pedigree and I hit the line good. I’d be very surprised if she doesn’t end up winning a Stakes race over that trip or a little further,” said Heffernan.
“I don’t think ground is an issue. She just needed a couple of runs to educate her.
“She won well and there was a few fancied so it might just have been an ok maiden.”
W.J. Lee, rider of Cleopatra's Needle trained by W. McCreery, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount leaned off the bend turning in.
(AM & EM)
