Independent Expert

“I knew Independent Expert would love the conditions. She had been running at Dundalk but she likes a cut in the ground. I wasn't sure if she was fully revved up for today. She's a filly that doesn't carry much weight and takes no work to get ready. You'll probably see the best of her fresh but at the same time I didn't know if she had enough done to be involved. Joey gave her a lovely ride, he took her back and let them at it, and then she stayed on well. A mile is probably better for her as well. The boys are excellent at claiming, they don't miss a beat and if there is any value, they'll take it. They were very sweet on her, they said she just needed a freshen up and she's obviously done well for the break. She has been placed in some big handicaps and ran in Royal Ascot last year. We'll make hay while the ground is soft - Denis Hogan, trainer”

“The last day over seven, Independent Expert got a bit outpaced and stayed on well. Nowadays, the stiff mile suits her well. She was a good winner of a Killarney handicap last year on good to firm ground so we knew he'd handle it even though she handles juice in the ground as well. She's very tough, honest and genuine. The colours are important to me as they are my assistant Stephen Mooney's grandparents' silks. We'll opt for something similar, she might run well in one of those big fillies' handicaps on the big weekends as she has some good Curragh form and she'll be a nice filly for Galway as well - Stephen Thorne, trainer.”

“Indepenent Expert is a light little filly but the race conditions suited her. She was in well at the weights, so it's great she's a winner at two. It was a valuable race and the owner also has an incentive to buy another horse, getting a 10,000Euros voucher to buy a yearling at an Irish sale. That's it for this year, she ran well at Gowran on testing ground, so she could have a nice mark for turf handicaps early in the season - Andy Slattery, trainer.”