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Tom Weekes

Tom Weekes

Fortune favours reserve, 'favourite' must wait

Fri 9th Apr 2021, 19:30

The Getaway Queen (white and green colours)The Getaway Queen (white and green colours)
© Photo Healy Racing

First reserve The Getaway Queen was parachuted into today's Good Enuf To Eat Banqueting Handicap Hurdle at Wexford today by less-known IHRB Rule 194 vii (c), as the Ken Budds trained mare eventually won under jockey Sean Flanagan.

All Class, which landed a Navan coup last month, was bottom-weight and looked something of a 'good thing' in today's 80-95 handicap hurdle but being a non-runner when 'declared in error' at Gowran yesterday, was thus an enforced withdrawal this morning under the IHRB rule.

The Ruling states: “a horse which has been 'declared in error' shall not be permitted to run in any other race for 2 days, commencing on the day following the race meeting”.

In the actual race, reserve The Getaway Queen was produced from off the pace by Flanagan to eventually beat Just Another Lady by two and a half lengths.

Winning trainer Ken Budds later commented “I didn’t think she’d handle the ground today as well as she did. She wants real nice ground. I walked the track and I thought it was a little bit dead in patches which she wouldn’t like.

“Sean said she got a blow early enough that he was able to fill her up. They got racing plenty early and she got back into it fairly easily.

“She’s a real summer mare. She’ll run away for the summer in both codes and is a nice mare to have around the place.

“I think she might come on a bit for the run as I didn’t think she was one hundred per cent today.”

Quotes from Alan Magee

About Tom Weekes
A lifelong racing fan, Tom began writing point to point reports in 2002 and has reported for irishracing.com since 2003, when he joined Irish Racing Services - since taken over by the Press Association. Has ridden a point to point winner and won the 2018 Irish Field Naps Table.