August 2018

She was second, beaten just a neck, on her debut at the Curragh in a maiden on 12 August and at the end of the month, we brought her to Bellewstown where she won with Billy Lee in the saddle

She is a nicely-bred filly as a daughter of Dandy Man and a half-sister to the 2016 Group 2 Norfolk Stakes winner Prince Of Lir, and as you would expect with that type of pedigree she is a speedy filly. The Imperial Crown Syndicate own her and the next challenge for their filly will be to get blacktype for her, which would enhance her broodmare value again.

It was another of our fillies who grabbed some of the limelight over the last month with Mazzuri getting a well-deserved win in a fillies’ handicap at Gowran on 15 August. Billy and I discussed the race beforehand and it looked like there wouldn’t be much pace on. We didn’t want it turning into a sprint for Mazzuri so we decided to make the running with her. Billy got her out in front and dictated matters from there. A daughter of Raven’s Pass, and owned by Britesavers, she is improving all the time and there could be more to come from her.

Thiswaycadeaux is proving very kind to our apprentices, educating them, teaching them how to be jockeys and winning races for them along the way. This time it was Nathan Crosse’s turn to take the reins, for a handicap in Cork on 11 August. She likes a bit of cut in the ground and she got that at Cork. It was a good performance, and a decisive win. She is a tough, hardy filly and a good ride for an apprentice. I’m sure that’ll she continue to give the lads plenty of learning experiences and wins too. 

Royal Canford, a daughter of Canford Cliffs, finished in the places twice in fillies’ maidens during August. First up was the Curragh on the Bank Holiday Monday in a seven furlong contest for two-year-old fillies and she put in a good performance to be third. Ten days later, we sent her to Leopardstown for a similar race over the same trip and again she was placed, so it was a consistent showing from her.

Three-year-old Madam Delavanti was second in the one mile and one furlong maiden at Tipperary on 10 August. That was her third run and her best performance so far, I think that she is improving with experience and hopefully she can win her maiden soon for her owner-breeders Ballygallon Stud.

Social Graces is another of our fillies who has been running into places lately. We gave the two-year-old daughter of Aussie Rules a bit of a break after she made her debut back in June, to let her grow and mature. We ran her in the Loder fillies’ race at the Curragh on 6 August with Billy in the saddle and she was placed. Two weeks’ later we brought her to Roscommon, this time with Nathan taking the ride, and she improved again to take third. Hopefully she continues on an upward curve and will be winning shortly.

We have plenty to look forward to for the last couple of months of the season with more of the two-year-olds to run. Once again, we’ll be trying hard to break the 20 winners barrier for the season, to make it the sixth year in a row that we have done so here at Rathbride Stables. 

August 2018