‘Indian summer’ playing havoc with planning process
There were only supposed to be a few showers yesterday but we had torrential rain instead and that saw the ground description being changed from at from good before the first race at Gowran Park, to soft after it.
The ground has played havoc with things over the last week and by the looks of things, will do so over the coming seven days too.
Galakina and Chart Master were both withdrawn because of the ground last Sunday and I had been looking forward to a very big run from the former. That has been the case for many more during the week. There’s no point in running them if they’re not able to run a race in it.
Both Princess Sinead and Remember Alexander got bogged down in the CL Weld Park Stakes. I was delighted with Princess Sinead, who handled it a little better to finish third, just two necks behind Coral Wave. Remember Alexander travelled well before clearly struggling in that ground about a furlong and a half out but she battled back to actually finish well in fifth.
Certainly I wouldn’t be downhearted about either of their runs. In fact I’d be happy that there will be plenty to go to war with in the future.
Princess Sinead is definitely finished for the season and has already been roughed off. That means that training has been wound down. It’s not good for highly-tuned athletes like these to just stop work. You have to gradually reduce it.
Remember Alexander is probably finished too but we’re adopting a wait-and-see policy there. If the ground were to improve we might give her one more run this season.
We had three runners at Roscommon on Monday. I thought there might be an opportunity for The Quiet Hawk back on the flat but she hated it. I’ve said before that she hadn’t shown a lot until seeing hurdles. They seem to bring her alive.
Paradis De Thaix ran a good race when third in a handicap chase, with Got Attitude back in fifth. The seven pounds extra probably did for Paradis, while they just didn’t give him a handy lead which he wouldn’t have minded either.
That was it then for the week until yesterday. At least it wouldn’t have been an issue in Dundalk last evening.
I have two entered in Gowran Park today but if it’s very soft Native Palm won’t run. I probably made a bit of a nonsense of the three-year-old hurdle because The Quiet Hawk should have gone into that. The ground was good to firm yesterday morning though and I didn’t think it was going to rain much, so that was why I went as I did.
Tipperary has a great card tomorrow but it’s hard for me to say much about mine because most of them might not run.
The only two certain to take their places are The Bull Hayes and Gimli’s Rock. Both are in good form and should run well but it’s a very hot race with the likes of Captain Cee Bee, The Real Article, Luska Lad and Donnas Palm taking part. You’d be running a good race to get in the frame there.
I was really bullish about Bullock Harbour and Steps To Freedom yesterday morning but that’s all changed now. They are both doing well and have done everything asked of them since their last runs. Steps To Freedom likes good ground so he is very unlikely to run now. Bullock Harbour wouldn’t like anything worse than yielding so the same applies.
Crystal Morning and Magical Memoir could well be casualties too, although Maller Tree will definitely take his place in what is a very strong bumper.
So I can’t really give readers anything for the weekend unless we suddenly get the Indian summer that was promised but skipped straight over to England. If that were to happen and the ground became good again, you’d be very pleased to have Bullock Harbour and Steps To Freedom in your corner.
And if I can’t tell you about tomorrow, I have no chance talking about the rest of the week. Violet Lashes could run in after finishing fifth first time out. She has come on well for that and I’m very happy with her. Chaperoned has been entered in a two-mile maiden the same day and would be worth watching. But, not to sound like a broken record, it would need to dry up a bit.
In other news at the yard, Bostons Angel worked yesterday and I was very pleased, while Oscars Well will work on Monday. All the national hunt team is in now and most of them will be hitting the track by about three weeks’ time.
One that is no longer with us is Pathfork, who has returned to America. It’s where his owners are and things just didn’t go for him this year after the Guineas. He is in pre-training over there now and they are aiming for a Group 1. I will continue to keep an eye on him because I loved having him and he was great for us.
Life moves on though and it looks like we picked up four or five yearlings from the Goffs Sales during the week. If there is another Pathfork in amongst them I will be very lucky indeed. Not everybody will have been happy with the price they got for their stock but there was a great clearance rate and that means people are buying if the price is right for them. That’s a very good sign.
