SHEWEARSITWELL provided Willie Mullins with a sixth victory in the last seven runnings of the BeattheBank.ie Irish EBF Mares Hurdle.

Two subsequent Cheltenham Festival heroines in Let’s Dance and Concertista are among the champion trainer’s recent winners of the Grade 3 contest and Shewearsitwell was actually sent off favourite for last year’s renewal, but suffered a nasty fall at the fourth flight.

With her confidence seemingly dented, results since have been mixed – but she got back on the winning trail in a Pertemps qualifier at Punchestown last month and was a 15/8 shot stepping back up in class.

The six-runner contest looked a match on paper and that was the way it transpired, with 8/13 favourite Queens Brook leading Shewearsitwell into the home straight.

But it was soon clear that the Mullins runner had more to give in the hands of Paul Townend and she picked up well passing the dolled off final obstacle to seal a four-and-a-half-length verdict.

Mullins said: “It was very good, she wasn’t very brave over her hurdles so I was very happy the last hurdle was taken out twice.

“I thought going down the back she wasn’t going to race much but once Paul got after her, she just kicked into gear. She improved and enjoyed herself then. Paul said they went a right good gallop and he was at his best just trying to keep her in touch with the race.

“She was losing a half-length here and there at her hurdles which wasn’t good for her, but she eventually got it right and when it came to staying she outstayed the rest of them.”

The trainer later suggested the winner may have spoiled her handicap mark with this success and she could go for the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham rather than the Pertemps Final.

Fine season

Willie Mullins was widely expected to win the Pigsback.com Maiden Hurdle with either of the 3/1 joint-favourites Embassy Gardens and Madmansgame but both were unplaced behind Good Land (9/2), who continued owner-trainer Barry Connell’s fine season.

The Wexford bumper winner had got no further than the first flight on his hurdles debut earlier this month but was well fancied to put that right in this two-and-a-half-mile affair. With Mikey O’Sullivan claiming 5lb off his back, Good Land made all and quickened away on the run to the final hurdle to score by eight lengths from Tag Man.

Barry Connell said: “This fellow was my banker of the week. The form of his Wexford bumper has worked out very well and this horse is all stamina, so I knew the extra distance and the stiff finish would be right up his street.

“We might look at the Grade 3 Michael Purcell in Thurles for him but I will also give him an entry in the Grade 1 over two miles and six here at the Dublin Racing Festival.”