Irish trainer Paddy Twomey and jockey Billy Lee may be best known for their exploits on the Flat but combined to enjoy victory in the Grade Two Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ Bumper with 15-8 Favourite Seo Linn, who took the honours by half a length from La Conquiere.
Paddy Twomey said: “That was very good. I think she’ll be a good filly on the Flat. There’s a good staying programme for her there and we’ll look at that. She seemed to be enjoying herself - we came here hoping she was ready to do her thing, and she was. She’s grown up - she was a little bit fractious at Cheltenham, but she’s learning and she’s going and she’s improving.”
Billy Lee, a five-time Group One-winning jockey on the Flat, said: “It’s been a grand day, and all the better for that. I just wanted to jump handy as she’s not a big mare. She gave me quite a bit of a hard time and I thought she was going to be doing too much, but she started to ease down the back a bit, although still full of running. She’s all heart and I just wanted to let her flow without really going for her, but once I let her down she found, and when the second came to me she picked up again.
"You’d like to think that if she wasn’t as keen she’d have won a bit more comfortably, but she’s a Grade 2 bumper winner now, whatever she does either over hurdles or on the Flat. Hopefully she can win a Flat maiden and maybe pick up a bit of black type along the way.
“I rode over hurdles here once for Tommy Stack a long time ago. It’s a super place and I’d love to be here on Saturday, but duty calls and it’s Dundalk for me tomorrow and Bellewstown on Saturday.”
Trainer Jamie Snowden said of runner-up La Conquiere: “That was wonderful. She’s run an absolute cracker and Gavin (Sheehan) was brilliant on her. I thought she might win for a moment, but the ground was a bit lively for her and softer ground would have helped her out.
“She’s a classy mare, and it was her first run for us. We have a few youngsters in Ireland and they are given plenty of time. The last one that came that way was La Marquise, who was third in this race last year, so we are getting closer!”
