Foot Perfect

Foot Perfect looked unlucky not to finish a lot closer than she did in the 0-90 six-furlong fillies’ handicap at The Curragh on Sunday. She travelled like a likely winner throughout with blinkers on for the first time, but every gap that Colm O’Donoghue went for closed on him. He first tried to go up the rails before switching out and looking for a path between each of the front three, not even able to get a run four horses off the rail. In the end O’Donoghue accepted the situation 50 yards from the line and sat up on the filly, and she finished with her ears pricked and apparently full of running.

David Marnane’s filly is consistent, and while she only has one win to her name from her 11 starts to date, she has improved on her last few runs. Her current mark of 84 is clearly not too high for her as she surely would have gone close here off that mark if any of the gaps had materialised for her, and it looks like this mark is actually one off which she can win something decent. She responded very well to the first-time blinkers, there was no question of her not wanting to go through with her effort when presented with a chance, she just never even had a half-chance to squeeze through any gap. On the assumption that the blinkers work as well second time round, she will be interesting wherever she goes next.

Foot Perfect is by the 2000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand from a sprinting family. Her dam went well at this track over sprint trips, winning off 78 and being placed off 89 over five furlongs; one of the dam’s half-sisters, Blue Crush, easily landed a nursery off 90 and was second in the Listed Tipperary Stakes at two, while one of her half-brothers, Barringer, won three times at two over five furlongs, including twice on heavy ground. Foot Perfect obviously comes from a speedy family and there is no reason to see her moving away from six furlongs for the moment. She would be of particular interest if connections opt for a higher grade, given how well she travelled here, and she appears very nicely handicapped at present, unchanged on 84 following this run.

7th August 2011