Performance Review

July 2021

There's no doubt that the highlight of our month came at the Curragh on Irish Oaks weekend as Insinuendo won the Group 2 Kilboy Estate Stakes. She's been very progressive and it was a fantastic result for Dympna and Michael Deegan, having already won a Group 3 with the filly earlier this season in the Blue Wind Stakes at Naas.

We're now considering the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville on August 22, while the Matron Stakes is another possible target back at Leopardstown on September 11. She'll also be given an entry for the Group 2 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh a day later as she'll have no penalty there.

Highlight of the month, Insinuendo wins at the Curragh

We were delighted for Frank Fahy to see St Clerans get her head in front at Ballinrobe when making her third start for us. The handicapper hasn't changed her mark, still rated 91, and we'll probably have a look at a handicap for her next. She might get an entry for the McEnery Cup at Gowran and has other potential options coming up at Tramore and Killarney too.

St Clerans gets her head in front at Ballinrobe

There was also a lovely performance during the month from Stag Night, who won nicely at Navan over five and a half furlongs. He's a nice three-year-old and the form of that maiden has been well boosted since, with the runner-up Wren's Breath winning a six-furlong Listed race on her next start and the fourth One Sweet Day winning a Cork maiden by four and a half lengths.

Stag Night wins nicely at Navan

Our fourth winner of July came thanks to a smart maiden performance at Cork from Loveday, a naturally quick filly we've always liked. She's rated 92 and it was important to get her head in front after some placed runs. Her next start could come in the Listed Curragh Stakes on August 13.

Loveday, a naturally quick filly

It was great to see Bipartisanship earn black type when finishing third in the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes at Fairyhouse, taking a step up in class having been running well in maidens previously. She'll now continue her career in America, set to be trained by Graham Motion.

We also had Royal Canford pick up black type for the first time when third in the Listed Corrib Fillies & Mares Stakes for Michael and Anne O'Donnell at Galway - a track she's obviously effective around. Lustown Baba also ran well to finish second in the same race, with the ease in the ground suiting her.

Coill Na Sionainne has been very progressive this year and ran another solid race when third at Galway. We'll try to keep the weight light on her because she's not an overly big mare. I was happy with Prince Hector's debut at Ballybrit too when finishing second in a seven-furlong maiden. He handled conditions well and could even be able to deal with softer ground.

It was a pity that Jungle Jane was just touched off at Bellewstown at the start of the month - she ran very well in defeat. She was a bit disappointing at Cork since but we'll look towards another valuable sprint handicap with her next.

Give Her A Squeeze had a good second start for us when finishing runner-up to a

101-rated filly at Bellewstown in a mile maiden. She hasn't fully backed that up in her two starts since but hopefully we'll be able to find an opening for her before long.

Always Waitin appreciates quick ground and he was just touched off by a head at the Curragh in a mile-and-a-quarter handicap. There's a race coming up over a mile and a furlong at Gowran that could suit.

There was another solid run from Parisienne Ways to finish third at Ballinrobe and she'll be aimed at a Leopardstown handicap next month, while Cherry Bloom finished fourth on her first start in a Curragh nursery for Renzo Forni and will be out again at Tipperary shortly as well.

It's been great to have more and more patrons back on the racecourse over the last few weeks - the overall experience of going racing is much better for having them there in terms of atmosphere. Here's hoping we'll continue to see more faces at the tracks as time goes on.