Shane Foley conjured up a strong finish from Autumn Mist to land division two of the Mallow Handicap in Cork.

John Murphy's four-year-old filly made progress a furlong and a half out and Foley got into the drive position to chase down Eye Of The Dragon and Sagittarius Rising

That pair were still duelling away deep inside the final furlong but Autumn Mist (15/2) ran on best to nail Eye Of The Dragon (11/1) by a neck in the shadow of the post.

Sagittarius Rising (4/1f) gave best in the closing stages to finish three parts of a length back in third.

Assistant trainer George Murphy said: "She was good and Shane gave her a great ride. The ground was probably a bit too deep the last two times she ran but she had a lovely run in Killarney the time before and did it well there.

"We'll look for the same sort of race next time and we might try her in Dundalk during the winter."

Foley cut Colin Keane's lead in the jockeys' title race to four with this success.

The Stewards requested a report from John Joseph Murphy, trainer, as to the apparent improvement in form of Autumn Mist, placed first, as compared with its recent form. George Murphy, authorised representative for the trainer stated that his charge had found the ground too heavy on its recent runs and that the better ground today had helped to bring about the apparent improvement in form when compared to its recent runs. Having considered the evidence the Stewards noted the explanation given.

Additional reporting by Tom Weekes