Bridgets Pet

Bridgets Pet is the horse to take out of the Grade 2 novices’ hurdle at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday. The Barry Connell-owned gelding had to be pulled up on his hurdling debut at the end of January after a bad mistake, but he has improved with each start since and Sunday’s run was probably another career-best considering things didn’t go his way.

Held up on the inside in a race in which they didn’t go a great gallop, he was trapped out the back when the pace quickened. He made ground around the home turn between horses, and he was closing between the final two flights when he was chopped off in between the eventual third and fourth, Lyreen Legend and Maller Tree. Danny Mullins had to sit up for a few strides before pulling the horse to the outside around not just Maller Tree, but also His Excellency who had made ground from the back, by which time Jenari had kicked on for home. He didn’t meet the last hurdle on a stride and that put paid to any small chance he had of catching the winner, but nevertheless he ran on nicely to finish second.

The Tony Mullins-trained gelding had been weak in the market beforehand, which may have been significant, especially as he was one of the least experienced of the field. He promises to be much better suited to coming off a faster pace, and he should be under-rated now on the back of this run. He promises to stay further than two and a half miles based on both this run and his previous two over hurdles, but that is not to say he can’t be effective over this trip, and he may be under-estimated at this trip next time now, especially granted a stronger pace. This was just his fourth ever run over hurdles, and he should continue to improve. He will be interesting now if he runs at Punchestown.

8th April 2012