Reporter: Simon Rowlands
A race that hinged on what sort of form Brighterdaysahead was in, and the answer was “not much”, with the result that it took just a very useful effort from Jade de Grugy to win decisively. The early pace was slow, though better by before halfway, but the result was that this was not all that much of a test, as reflected in the winner’s final 4f of 54.88s (109.0% finishing speed).
JADE DE GRUGY (h151 here and previously) went off favourite as a result of the lack of support for Brighterdaysahead, and merely gave her running to score readily, moving up to the leader before the 4th
and leading herself soon after halfway, upping the pace before 3 out and seeing off her main rival between the last 2, ridden briefly on the run-in but in no real danger.
GALA MARCEAU (h145 here, 140 previously) ran at least as well as she ever has, set a bit to do, outpaced 3 out then staying on well and getting a second place that looked unlikely entering the closing stages.
BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD (h142 here, 169? previously) was most disappointing again, easy to back, travelling OK in 2nd/3rd (though tended to skew to her left over early hurdles), briefly giving solid chase as the winner upped things 3 out but finding nothing after the next. Her win at Leopardstown at Christmas was stunning but she just hasn’t been the same since.
LOT OF JOY (h140 here and previously) made late gains having been held up, running creditably.
JULY FLOWER (h136 here, 144 previously) was cautiously ridden and made only brief headway, further below her best this time.
WYENOT (h113 here, 138 previously)
