Minella Melody has made quiet an impression since she began her career under rules back in March 2019 and has hit the ground running this season having found victory in all of her three runs since starting over hurdles in November, which includes a listed success at Punchestown in December.
The daughter of Flemensfirth, who is owned by the same connections as Honeysuckle and landed the same race 12 months previous, was always close to the pace in the contest, where she just held a slight advantage over rival Colreevy approaching the penultimate fence.
The Henry De Bromhead-trained mare found a better jump at the last, she then began to stamp her authority in the closing stages to go on and beat the 11/4 favourite Colreevy by two and a half lengths in the hands of Rachel Blackmore.
The six-year-old mare started her career off with hotelier John Nallen when running out an impressive ten-length winner on her debut performance at Boulta back in 2018.
“I thought she toughed it out again and she's obviously a lady that doesn't kill herself and only does enough. Rachael was brilliant on her and I'm delighted to get it for Kenny,” said winning trainer De Bromhead to Irishracing.com.
“She's probably more of a staying type mare but we'll keep all our options open and see. We'll enter her for the mares novice at Cheltenham and we'd have to certainly consider that and we might put her in the Ballymore as well.
“She's a lovely mare and is fairness to her with the penalty there I thought she really toughed it out and I'm delighted to win it.”
