Starspangledbanner Filly Flies Home To Land Galway Maiden

Sigh No More (2f Starspangledbanner – Silent Thoughts, by Galileo) swept past her rivals to lead home a 1-2-3 for Coolmore sires in Sunday’s two-year-old maiden at the Galway Festival.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained filly faced 12 rivals on her second start, with Declan McDonogh settling her towards the back of the field for much of the seven furlong contest. Racing wide on the turn for home, she was pushed along approaching the two furlong pole and finished strongly to lead close home. The winning margin was a length and three quarters, as Saint Brandon (Saxon Warrior) beat the favourite Right And True (Arizona) into third.

“When she hit the hill she actually devoured the ground,” said the winning rider. “She could be a nice filly. I’d imagine she learned a lot from the first outing and from the three (furlong pole) she started to travel with me, and she kept picking them off and enjoyed that. She could have been 15 lengths behind early in the straight.”

Bred by Barronstown Stud, the improving filly is owned by the Stride Racing Syndicate. Sylkie (Starspangledbanner) completed a quickfire double on the card for their sire, whose daughter Exxtra (Starspangledbanner) finished second in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest earlier that day.