Sakakawea has her rivals beaten close home© Photo Healy Racing
Sakakawea showed good resolution to get up in the closing stages of the extended five furlong fillies' maiden that kicked proceedings off in Sligo. Oh So Bright took them along, but was pressed and headed by Marble Angel entering the final quarter of a mile.
Marble Angel swung into the straight under Gary Carroll and attempted to go for home. She was still boxing on in the final furlong, however, Billy Lee, and Sakakawea finished best of all on the outer to mow them down in the closing stages.
The winner still had to see off a closing Bella Mistiko but did so by half a length at 11/1. The runner-up was a 10/1 chance and was the same distance in front of Marble Angel (11/1).
Lee said of the Sioux Nation filly: "She jumped a bit slow and I was caught in a pocket most of the way, but it helped her because she's a forward-going filly and it settled her well.
"She travelled well and I got a good split off the bend. I thought I was going to win a bit easier, she just made it a little bit hard work.
"She's always worked well and her runs probably hadn't shown that, but that was more like it so hopefully she'll go forward.
"I rode her in the Curragh and I followed Ryan (Moore). We were the two on our own on the far side and, on the day, it was totally the wrong thing to do so the run probably wasn't as bad as it looked.
"Ted (Walsh) was happy with her coming into today. It's nice to win with a homebred. I think she's a filly who will stay seven furlongs in time, the more she settles down and learns her job."
Sakakawea had finished unplaced in two spins around the Curragh before today.
Additional reporting by Mark Nunan
