Willie McCreery has made an excellent start to the new flat season and the trainer scored his seventh win this month when Solar Halo (14/1) edged a narrow win in the Plusvital Racing GenePak Handicap at the Curragh today, winning under stable jockey Bill Lee.

The daughter of Harlan’s Holiday had previously failed in three starts last year but made a winning handicap debut today, when edging her nose past Treaty Of Vienna in the closing stages.

Afterwards McCreery stated “it’s a nice way to lose her maiden tag but I thought last night with the 18mm of rain that the ground was gone for us. I told Billy (Lee) to get a bit of cover and that didn’t work out either but she was very game and hit the line hard - as the Americans would say.

“It’s great to train a winner this year for the Niarchos family again so hopefully we can keep it up.”

By Tom Weekes, quotes from Alan Magee