GALWAY owner/trainer Norman Lee and jockey Robbie Geoghegan enjoyed a red-letter day at Gowran Park as they combined to win the feature Listed Pat Walsh Memorial Irish EBF Mares Hurdle with She Is Electric.

The seven-year-old led from pillar to post under an aggressive ride from Geoghegan. She looked a sitting duck for the Willie Mullins-trained favourite Champagne Problem and Pat Taaffe early in the straight but kept finding more for her rider, who was enjoying his biggest success to date, having spent some eight years out of the sport.

“It’s a great result. We said we’d try and steal a march on them. If you are not brave you are nothing in life,” said Lee.

“Robbie gave her a super ride. He works for me everyday and was in the yard at 6am this morning and we got them out in the pouring rain. We came down and we won the listed race in Gowran so that’s all that matters!

“She belongs to a good friend of mine, Eddie Naughton, we own her half and half. We always knew she was a decent filly, she had a few little problems early on. That will do her book good and she’s a valuable filly now.”

Earlier, the Willie Mullins-trained Saylavee (6/5 favourite) looked a very smart mare when providing her rider Danny Mullins with the first leg of a double.

The Lynne Maclennan-owned mare cruised up to The Mediator and Ballinlough Gale at the second last and once asked to pick up she scampered clear.

She had shown good bumper form, winning twice, and the winning rider was impressed with her first attempt over hurdles: “She had been good in her bumpers and learned as the race went on. She jumped very well at speed late on and hopefully she can step up on what was a nice bumper career. It looks like she’s going to progress along from there.”

Doubled

Mullins doubled his tally in the second divide of the two-mile 80-95 Gowran Park Handicap Hurdle on the Mick Keoghan-trained Sea Of Sands but there was a sad postscript to the race when the trainer reported the eight-year-old probably ran for the last time after sustaining an injury shortly after the line.

Sea Of Sands, bred by the trainer’s father, was tough in the finish, having made his ground on the outside of the leading group coming into the straight, where he was pushed all the way by the rallying ong-time leader Will You Win.

“He broke down and he’s done now,” said Keoghan.

“He got hurt in Tramore about a year ago and we just nursed him back, we thought we’d get a run out of him and we got a couple of runs but he’s gone now. He’s a homebred so he might as well spend the rest of his life out in the field now.”

PHILIP Rothwell and Jack Foley combined for a double on the card which was kicked off by Berliet Express 6/1) in the first divide of the 80-95 Gowran Park Handicap Hurdle

The Fairwood Racing Syndicate-owned six-year-old made a significant move up to the leaders before the third last and it was clear that he was travelling much better than anything else when he joined Cracklinrose in the straight, kicking on just before the second last and maintaining a comfortable advantage up to the line from the running-on Unlaoised.

Heavy fall

The pair completed their brace with Don’t Doubt Me in the two-and-a-half-mile Thomastown Handicap Hurdle. The complexion of this race changed when leader Na Caith Tobac took a fatal fall at the first flight in the straight, and that left Sargent Lightfoot in front. He stayed there for Sean Flanagan for much of the journey after but couldn’t repel the late challenge of Don’t Doubt Me who was getting off the mark on his ninth start.

Reflecting on his day, Rothwell said: “I got everything wrong today. The horse we thought would win didn’t and the other two have won but it’s great.”

“Jack has rode out his claim now on that winner. 90 percent of the weigh room wouldn’t have won on him, I thought it was a brilliant ride.

“He wasn’t simple the whole way around and when he jumped the last he waited and held on to him to get his head in front on the line.

The opening Joe Bollard Memorial Maiden Hurdle went to favourite Wee Willie Nail who got off the mark at the first time of asking for owner Stephen Waterworth.

Long-time leader

Davy Russell sent Gordon Elliott’s gelding ahead of long-time leader Single Edition at the end of the back straight and though Capana Zapata looked a significant danger for Rachael Blackmore in the straight, the winner stayed on strongly and had four lengths to spare at the line.

TROUBLED Times (9/2) gained a highly valuable win for her owner/breeder Willie Gleary when making most of the running for Derek O’Connor in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mucklemeg Mares’ INH Flat Race.

O’Connor kept the Sam Curling-trained mare to the inside rail, in contrast to the majority of the field who raced towards the outside in search of better ground. The pair looked to have a host of challengers into the straight but it soon became apparent that they had built up a healthy lead and they kept on well to the line, with four lengths back to Jetera and Rockstown Girl in third.

“She’s a lovely filly,” said Curling. “They (owners) bred her and it’s massive that she’s after getting blacktype. Her bumper form worked out great and there were excuses the last times.

“Derek was brilliant on her. He said he had walked it and saw a strip of ground down the inside. We don’t tell him what to do!”

Earlier Moving Water made it a hat-trick for Des McDonogh and Mark Walsh with a good staying performance in the two-and-a-half-mile Golf Societies @Gowran Park Handicap Hurdle.

The J.P. McManus-owned five-year-old was 10lbs higher for a handicap hurdle win over the same distance at Tipperary and having looked in trouble when market rival Krabat moved to the front in the straight, but he rallied well and ran out a cosy winner at the line. There could be more to come from him.