Last-minute Christmas 'shoppers' were out in numbers today as bookmakers were hit by a lunchtime gamble on the Peter Fahey trained newcomer Canford Art who made a fine winning debut in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Dundalk.

The daughter of Canford Cliffs was the subject of a dramatic market plunge at lunchtime as her price collapsed throughout the industry from 20/1 to 4/1 within an hour. Paddy Power Bookmakers had been quickest to react and cut Canford Art's price from 20/1, at 12.38pm, to 4/1 just six minutes later.

In the actual race, nothing went to plan for Canford Art (returned a 4/1 chance), who badly missed the break.

However under veteran jockey Kevin Manning, she quickly made up ground in the home straight and moved through to lead with a furlong to race. She then showed more inexperience when hanging right inside the final furlong but stayed on well to beat four-times raced It's All A Joke comfortably by a length and a quarter.

“We fancied her to run a big race” was winning trainer Fahey's honest summation following the race.

He added “we had her at the breeze up’s in Newmarket and we didn’t sell her. She is a nice filly who goes well at home and is very quick.

“More than likely she is for sale and Kevin (Manning) liked her a lot. She missed the break and gave them a couple of lengths but she put the head down and stayed going well.”

Canford Art is out of a German Listed winning dam and was a E20,000 yearling purchase.

Quotes from Alan Magee