Queens Wild is G3 heroine for Westerner

Bobby Guiry’s home-bred Queens Wild (5m Westerner-Pepsi Starlet, by Heavenly Manna) looked better than ever at Navan on Monday when winning the G3 Kerry Group EBF Mares Novice Chase. Adrian Heskin steered the Westerner mare to victory and suggested that she could improve for a step up in trip from the 2m 1f of this contest. “She jumped fantastic today,” said trainer Eddie Harty. "The only mistake she made was at the last and it was lucky she had the revs up and could find a leg. I thought then we might not get the black-type but we ended up getting the big one! "Adrian said to up her in trip. Two-and-a-half is her trip and she goes in that ground. I rode for Bobby (Guiry) nearly 40 years ago and he bred some really good horses in the past that he used to send to my father to get some form before selling." Meanwhile, Westerner also made a splash at the Tattersalls Ireland sale at Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday when Keeper Hill (4g Westerner-You Take Care, by Definite Article) sold for £110,000. The four-year-old won his only bumper start by six lengths for Ronnie O’Leary and is joining a trainer who knows just how good Westerners can be - Warren Greatrex, who saddled Cole Harden (6g Westerner-Nosie Betty, by Alphabatim) to win last season’s G1 Ladbrokes World Hurdle.