Bargain buy Grangee puts valuable sales purchases in the shade

There were some expensive mares in the concluding race of the Dublin Racing Festival, the Coolmore-sponsored Grade 2 bumper, but Grangee provided a reminder that a smart horse need not cost a small fortune.

The daughter of Great Pretender was bought for just €25,000 in a mixed event at Arqana in February last year and has now handsomely exceeded that outlay in only three outings for Syndicates Racing.

Successful at Galway last summer before finding Pam Sly's exciting Eileendover too much at Huntingdon less than a month ago, Grangee completed a stunning five-timer for Willie Mullins on the day by sweeping past her far more expensive - and fancied - stablemate Brandy Love.

View result and watch replay here

Brandy Love, the odds-on favourite, was a £200,000 recruit who performed respectably to finish third while Grangee and Jody Townend were given even more to do by runner-up Party Central, who can be assumed to have been another pricey purchase after joining the squad of Noel and Valerie Moran after winning on her debut.

The Morans' other runner, last month's £300,000 Goffs UK sale-topper Hollymount, faded out of the picture.

The winner was something of a shock as an 18-1 chance but she is from a capable family. Her brother Box Office was unable to give Tony McCoy the perfect swansong on his final National Hunt ride before retirement but did win races.

So did the other three foals of the AQPS mare Quelle Mome to have competed so far and one, Cote Mer, scored eight times over hurdles, fences and on the level in France.

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