Narjawa is one to note
John Oxx’s charge has always looked a promising sort, but failed to deliver, until taking a maiden at Sligo last month.
She appeared to be struggling to get on terms approaching the home turn, but got a dream run through on the inside off the bend and then stayed on strongly to beat the enigmatic Harangue by three parts of a length.
A further three and a half lengths away in third was Smithfield and he was just touched off late by Rossvoss at Galway subsequently.
Narjawa seemed to revel in the soft ground at Sligo and that’s a big plus. As well as that she didn’t go up in the weights for the initial success.
Balrath Hope, a 66-1 shot on her debut at the Curragh, gets the nod, on her second appearance, in the opening Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Median Auction Fillies Maiden.
Slowly away at headquarters, she ran on nicely at the end to finish fifth behind Pierre D’or. There was cut in the ground on that occasion and Balrath Hope now steps up a furlong in trip.
The Bumper very much centres round the clear form horse, Morning Ireland, formerly trained by Jim Bolger.
He has two cracking efforts to his name, fourth to King Vuvuzela at Punchestown and a length and a half second to Christy Roche’s Golden Ticket, the third was beaten a further 22 lengths, also at Punchestown.
Significantly, Morning Ireland is now in the care of Roche, but the worry is that his two previous outings have come on a far quicker surface than he is likely to meet here and it is a little disconcerting to see him fitted with a tongue-tie for the first time.
The four-year-old gets the vote, but you suspect his travels in the market may well prove all important!
