Horses to follow: Fran Berry with two for your trackers from Ireland
By Fran Berry
12:55 · TUE April 23, 2024
Our columnist has two horses to add to your trackers after eye-catching runs at the Curragh over the weekend.
There were plenty of eyecatchers over the two days of the Curragh meeting at the weekend.
The opener on Saturday was a maiden for three-year-olds over seven furlongs and a number of newcomers caught the eye including Kailasa and Abbey Actress who finished fourth and fifth.
One placed behind was WHITE CLOVER and she’s the one I’m taking from the race.
A Starspangledbanner debutant from a family of mainly sprinters, she was drawn out in 16 and found little cover through the race. Keen in the initial stages, she found a rhythm from halfway and had every chance before showing her inexperience and tiring in the final 100 yards.
She wasn’t unduly knocked about and given her pedigree and the way the race panned out I think she’s one to follow. There was market support for her before off the off which looked significant and she’s one to note, possibly dropping back to six furlongs next time.
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Sunday’s Treacy Group Irish European Breeders Fund Maiden will probably work out to be strong form given the previous experience and promise of the horses who finished second and third. The one I like is SAKAKAWEA who eventually finished ninth.
Along with Master Of The Hunt she raced on the far side of the track on a weekend where to be involved you needed to be down the centre if not hard against the stands’ rail. Having taken a lead from that rival, she made her move two out only to weaken inside the final furlong.
Sent off at 66/1, she showed plenty of ability given the way the race panned out and her third furlong sectional of 11.99 seconds was the only one under 12 seconds from any horse in the race.
Given the energy she used mid-race and the fact she was racing on the disadvantaged side, I think she shaped with a good deal more promise than the beaten distance suggests. She could be a value play in a maiden next time or in handicaps for which she qualifies after one more run.
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