Leopardstown tips: Kazakdaria can improve enough to take maiden

Bred and owned by the Aga Khan, this filly is a daughter of dual Derby-winner Harzand and shaped like a future winner on her recent debut at the Curragh

Thu, 17 Jun, 2021 - 06:00

John Ryan

Once-raced Kazakdaria, trained by Dermot Weld, is hopeful nap choice in the Leoparsdtown.com Median Auction Maiden in Leopardstown Thursday.

Bred and owned by the Aga Khan, this filly is a daughter of dual Derby-winner Harzand and shaped like a future winner on her recent debut at the Curragh, a display that suggested she might be capable of landing a maiden of this standard.

Ridden by Derek McCormack, she didn’t enjoy much luck along the way, stumbling early, colliding with the rail before the turn into the straight and being short of room briefly in the straight.

She finished sixth of the nine runners, but was beaten little more than three lengths, behind Ballydoyle filly Call Me Sweetheart.

A big, raw filly, Kazakdaria might improve dramatically from that experience. And, if she does, she’ll be tough to beat, with champion-jockey Colin Keane taking over in the saddle.

Newcomers Rock Chant and Beamish, representing Joseph O’Brien and Paddy Twomey respectively, look the main threat to Dermot Weld’s filly.

Narrowly denied by Hook Head over a longer trip last Thursday, the Noel Meade-trained Lunar Power will be expected to gain compensation in the Sandycove Handicap.

A winner at Dundalk, over today’s trip and off a mark of 59 in April, this Power gelding ran creditably in handicaps at Limerick and over this course and distance (finished fifth to Sir William Bruce) before last week’s effort when, in a race run at a strong pace over a mile and seven furlongs, he came form well off the pace and failed by a nose to collar Hook Head.

Lunar Power wore cheekpieces last week and should be helped by first time blinkers, to aid his concentration over this short trip today.

The Ger Lyons-trained Elzaam Tales and Daisy Peers, separated by a neck at Roscommon, clash again in the Irish EBF Auction Series 2-Y-0 Race, with Tommy Stack’s filly now 5lb. better off, which might swing things in her favour. But preference is for Joseph O’Brien’s top-weight Relaxed Artist, a Zofany colt that shaped with plenty of promise when fourth to Celtic Times on his debut over this course and distance and open to improvement.

SELECTIONS

John Ryan

4.10 Relaxed Artist

4.45 Jeroboam

5.20 Sister Lola

5.55 Diderot

6.30 Never Seen Before

7.00 Kazakdaria (Nap)

7.30 Lunar Power (nb)

8.00 Crowns Major

Next best

4.10 Daisy Peers