Despite proving easy-to-back on track, the Jessica Harrington-trained home-bred, Princess Aloof got the job done under Niall McCullagh in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction Maiden at Sligo.

She twitched her head a bit, as though she may have had contact from Billy Lee 's whip on the favourite, Captain Moonlite (11/4 into 15/8), as the pair fought it out.

To the credit of the successful Big Bad Bob filly though, she went through with her effort well, eventually crossing the line a neck to the good.

McCullagh said: "She's a handy little filly and she's still a little green but I felt I was always going to get there.

"I got shunted a little wide at one point and I lost momentum but she was always travelling well.

"The ground is tacky and dead." (TW & EM)