Santa Rossa

Santa Rossa ran well to finish third in the two-mile maiden hurdle. Never far off the pace, she was a little keen early on, but her jumping was good for a debutante, and she moved up nicely in behind Exit Poll and Jon Snow on the run to the home turn. She was fairly wide around the home turn, but she was still there with a chance when she jinked a little on the run to the second last flight. That seemed to upset her momentum, but she still kept on well up the run-in to get the better of Lynwood Gold for third.

This was a fine run by Dermot McLoughlin's mare, against the boys, on her hurdling debut, and her first run since last May. She was a good bumper mare last season, she won the Grade 2 mares' bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown last February, and she finished third in the Grade 2 bumper at Aintree's Grand National meeting, before she came back to Punchestown and finished a close-up fifth in the Champion Bumper there, behind Colreevy and Abacadabras. She should be able to win her maiden hurdle soon before stepping up in grade.

Fairyhouse, 25^th January 2020

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