Exhortation can come up trumps
The son of Zamindar was well beaten on his only outing to date, at Leopardstown in September, but showed enough to warrant the vote in this company.
He set a strong gallop and there was never any possibility it could be maintained for all of the seven furlongs. From the furlong pole, Exhortation began to struggle and he eventually finished five lengths and two lengths third behind Akeed Mofeed and Athens.
The form has been working out nicely, with Akeed Mofeed and Athens subsequently finishing second and third respectively behind David Livingston in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes at the Curragh.
Prior to that Athens won a maiden at Listowel, so it has to be Exhortation, with blinkers fitted to help his concentration.
Eddie Lynam’s charges are in fine shape and he can provide the answer to the thetote.com Maiden with Opa Loca.
Lightly raced, she clearly isn’t easy to train and hasn’t been seen since chasing home Sharestan at the Curragh in June.
Opa Loca had, arguably, her main rival now, Sharalam, two lengths behind in third and it looks a particularly smart effort in the light of Sharestan’s success in last Sunday’s Irish Lincoln at the Curragh.
Lynam’s Gathering Power, who ran a nice sort of race when fifth to Jim Bolger’s well-touted Dawn Approach at the Curragh on Sunday, has to be fancied to cope with five unraced opponents in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Auction Maiden.
