Pam’s heroine in runaway success EILEENDOVER GEARED FOR GREAT THINGS

CAN’T CATCH ME: Eileendover races in front of Miss Lamb

IT WAS very much a David over Goliath moment when Pam Sly, who describes herself as a Fenland farmer, toppled Willie Mullins with her runner Eileendover at Market Rasen.

Mullins, the undisputed king at the Cheltenham Festival and 14-time champion trainer in Ireland, was attempting to add to last year’s success in Alan Swinbank National Hunt Flat Race with Grangee, having won it 12 months earlier with Panic Attack.

But the money proved spot on when Eileendover, sent off the 11-8 favourite, rocketed clear round the home bend under Paul O’Brien, with Miss Lamb in second and Grangee a leg-weary third.

“That was good, wasn’t it?” said Sly. “I thought ‘Oh my god, she’s never going to get there’, but she found another gear.

“She just took off and flew. I’ve had a lot of offers for her but she’s not for sale, she’s not going anywhere. She’s a proper, proper mare.”

Sly might lack the numbers and profile of Mullins but she knows what makes a talented racehorse – she trained Eileendover’s grandmother Speciosa to win the 2006 1000 Guineas.

But Sly is reluctant to nominate the Champion

Bumper at Cheltenham as the obvious target for her mare, who is now an impressive winner of her three races.

Sly said: “I have a lot of time to think about it as I don’t have to make the entry until March.”

Alan King does have plans sorted out for Notachance, his winner of the McCoys Classic Chase at Warwick, after an excellent ride by Tom Cannon. He said: “I see him as a Scottish National horse with maybe one other run between now and then.”

Meanwhile, Tom Lacey clearly has smart contender for top honours in Adrimel, the gutsy winner of Ballymore Leamington Hurdle in the hands of Richard Johnson.