Performance Review

August 2019

We’ve given the crossbar a good rattle on more than one occasion over the course of last month, but it was definitely pleasing to notch some smart winners in decent quality races through the past few weeks.

There’s no doubt one of our August highlights was Nitro Boost’s win in the Listed Abergwaun Stakes at Tipperary, where she again showed herself to be a very speedy filly. I view Tipperary’s five furlong track as one of the fastest in the country and you’d have to love the way she got the job done, albeit that there was a definite advantage to be drawn high where she was. She’s obviously a smart filly and would be an excellent addition to the yard if staying in training next season.

In the same race it was great to get Jungle Jane back on track, having been off since winning on her debut at Dundalk in March of last year. She has rocket speed and showed the way for plenty of the journey before understandably getting tired. She should be well capable of picking up some black type if she stays sound and returns again next year.

Nitro Boost getting the job done in the Listed Abergwuan Stakes at Tipperary

It was also brilliant to see Elite Trooper Grey get his head in front at Sligo. He must have some of the best form lines in the country, including a second to an Irish Derby winner in Sovereign and plenty of other quality horses, so it was fantastic to get off the mark. We’re looking forward to trying him in a good handicap next time, potentially over a mile and a half on the Monday of Listowel’s Harvest Festival.

I thought Tipitena’s second in the Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes at Gowran was a brilliant effort, only finding Goddess too strong. That Ballydoyle-trained filly has since gone on to win a Group 3 at the Curragh and Frank Fahy’s charge has gone up 11lb to a mark of 101. Our big four-year-old is maturing really nicely and she’ll have an entry for another Listed race on the Monday of Listowel.

Arabeska is a smashing filly who is also maturing very well and she put up a smart performance when winning a seven furlong handicap on the same card at Gowran for the Imperial Crown Syndicate. If she manages to stay in training next year, I could see her continuing to improve.

Waterlemon Bay ran a cracker to finish second at Leopardstown, giving 16lb to the winner, but unfortunately she’s encountered some training problems since. She has a slight injury at the moment and we’ll have to see if she can come back.

Truth Prevails stepped forward from her debut to finish a fine third at the Curragh on what seemed to be yielding ground. She probably needs it soft underfoot to be seen at her best and hopefully she can continue going the right way.

It was unfortunate that Yenillik just bumped into a promising first-time out winner for Godolphin at Roscommon but I thought he produced a cracking run in second. He tries very hard and we’ll be doing our best to see him come home in front before long.

Alice Milligan is a little bit of a quirky filly and she doesn’t enjoy having horses around her, which seems to be the reason for her first run of the month at Sligo when down the field. However, her Leopardstown fourth was a very good showing and hopefully we can find the right opportunity for her to get her head in front.

Royal Canford produced a couple of nice runs at Galway and Leopardstown during the month and hopefully she can take another step forward, while More Lies Ahead tries very hard and put up a good performance in a Roscommon bumper when third. She almost turned into the sacrificial lamb on that occasion, taking the favourite into the race, but ran well in defeat.

I don’t think she really stays two miles in a bumper, so we’ll drop her down in distance for a Flat maiden next time.

Hopefully we can build on some promising runs over the course of the month to have an even better final few months of the season for the team at Rathbride.