Gowran Park preview: Flor De La Luna can strike

Clearly highly regarded as a three-year-old, she was supplemented for the Irish Oaks prior to a track debut which ended before it had begun

Wed, 05 May, 2021 - 06:00

Tommy Lyons

The listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Vintage Tipple Stakes is the feature on this afternoon’s card in Gowran, and Flor De La Luna can land the spoils for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley.

Clearly highly regarded as a three-year-old, she was supplemented for the Irish Oaks prior to a track debut which ended before it had begun. Pulled up early that day, she made amends with a wide-margin success in a Curragh maiden on her next outing, and that ended her first season on the track.

She returned in the listed Noblesse Stakes at Cork and found only Moll too good. She was very green in the closing stages, where she drifted left, but still finished in front of a number of today’s rivals.

She looks capable of much better than she has thus far shown and can take this at the expense of Yaxeni, who finished one place and one and a half lengths behind her last time.

The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies’ Maiden is a fascinating race. Apres Toi ran well on debut and with a little improvement she will go close, while Rosscarbery ad Ubuntu are closely matched on last year’s early-season form.

But this is a race with numerous fascinating newcomers and Pappina, trained by Harrington, catches the eye on breeding.

By Sea The Stars, she is a grand-daughter of Petrushka, who won the Irish Oaks for Michael Stoute, in 2000, and from the same line as 1995 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Spectrum. Connections tend not to make Classic entries lightly, so the market moves for this Irish Oaks entry are worth noting.

GOWRAN PARK

Tommy Lyons

4:25 Texas Moon

4:55 Agrimony (NB)

5:30 Flor De La Luna (Nap)

6:00 Amma Grace

6:30 Apres Toi

7:00 Ellabella

7:30 Coill Na Sionainne

8:00 Gregory’s Gift

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