Champion option for brilliant Ouija Board
Ed Dunlop’s five-year-old produced a performance of the highest order to defeat Jim Bolger’s mare by the shortest of heads in a breathless finish to the Vodafone Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on Saturday.
The Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and the Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin are likely to remain the long-term objectives for the six-time Group One winner.
However, Dunlop has not ruled out the possibility of Ouija Board making a return to competitive action in a month’s time.
“It’s early days but she will let me know if she needs a break, it’s as simple as that,” said the Newmarket-based handler.
“If she looks like she wants a break or we are not happy with her, we’ll have a break.
“But first options would be the Irish Champion Stakes or the Prix Vermeille (over 12 furlongs at Longchamp on September 10).
“She has lost a normal amount of weight for a mare but has come out of the race well.
“There was no trouble with her overnight and she is sound.
“She’s been out in the paddock this morning and seems fine so all’s well that ends well.”
Coral make Ouija Board a 3-1 chance to reclaim the Filly & Mare Turf crown she won in 2004.
“Despite the narrow margin of her win in the Nassau, we reckon she’ll take all the beating if connections decide to take her to Churchill Downs in October,” said spokesman David Stevens.
