Dabana looks the part in maiden

(Photo HEALY RACING)

Today’s racing

Although officially rated 6lb. below chief rival Warren Beach, the Dermot Weld-trained Dabana should be tough to beat in today’s Gowran Park opener, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden.

An Aga Khan-owned daughter of Iffraaj, Dabana was placed twice from three juvenile starts and shaped with promise on her seasonal debut in Cork, showing enough to suggest that she should be capable of a maiden success.

Third to Seisai on her debut over this course and distance, Dabana then chased home Albula in Naas but ended her juvenile campaign with a lack-lustre display, when favourite, in the Naas maiden won by Cigamia in August.

Sent off at 22/1 for her seasonal debut in Cork last month, she was unable to pose a significant threat to the leaders but stayed on late to finish fifth, beaten eight lengths, behind French Guineas contender Toy.

The form has also been boosted by the fourth Band Width, successful in Sligo before flopping on his handicap debut in Naas, and the sixth Relevant Range, runner-up in a Cork maiden last Friday.

With that run under her belt, Dabana should be primed to strike here and is preferred to Ken Condon’s Warren Beach, given a lofty rating of 95 following a run in an end-of-season Group 3 at Leopardstown, but dropped 5lb. following a couple of thirds this season, most recently behind Inchturk over a mile at this venue last week.

Condon is putting blinkers on Warren Beach for the first time today. And he rates the biggest threat to Dabana.

A promising fifth to Affogato on her debut over course and distance, Johnny Murtagh’s Miss Mirabell and Dermot Weld’s 82-rated Shamiyana will be leading fancies for the one-mile fillies maiden.

But they might not cope with Aidan O’Brien’s debutante So Beautiful, a daughter of Galileo and the speedy Acapulco, winner of the 2015 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot for Wesley Ward.