Salley has mares’ hurdle aim
The Prunella Dobbs-trained six-year-old toyed with decent opposition at Listed level and will now step up in class.
A decent bumper horse – she won three races and was second twice – Our Girl Salley’s outing last week was only her second ever run over hurdles.
“She’s a lovely mare, we’re going to keep her in mares’ races for the time being, there’s a couple coming up,” said Dobbs.
“Then we’re going to look at the big mares’ race in Cheltenham, the David Nicholson.
“We’ll take it step by step. That run, for just her second over hurdles, was spectacular.
“The fact we hadn’t been able to school her because of the weather made it even sweeter.
“There are a good few mares on the other side of the water but Quevega would still have to be the one to beat, having won it twice already.
“I’ve got 10 horses and that’s as many as I’d like. I like to keep my numbers down and give them lots of attention.
“We’ve had a wonderful year as Our Gar won at the Punchestown Festival and Our Girl Salley won at the Fairyhouse Festival.”
Meanwhile Bygones Of Brid will skip an engagement in the MCR Hurdle at Leopardstown this weekend and instead head for the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton on January 15.
The eight-year-old would have been forced to carry top weight in the Irish contest, conceding upwards of 6lb to all of his rivals, a task trainer Karen McLintock was not keen on undertaking.
Instead, the Fighting Fifth fourth will more than likely head for the Lanzarote Hurdle having had a pipe-opener on the all-weather in a bumper at Southwell last week.
“I scratched him from the Irish race, I thought he would have had a lower handicap mark,” said McLintock.
“I’m thinking about the Lanzarote now for him as it would have been too tough for him giving all that weight away.
“He would have loved the soft ground, that’s why I entered him.”
