Moth

Having settled well in behind horses, Moth produced a really impressive turn of foot to swoop past her field once she was pulled to the outside a furlong out to win her maiden over seven furlongs at The Curragh on Sunday.

They didn’t go fast at all through the first couple of furlongs but she settled well, which in itself was likeable as she had been ridden a bit more prominently in her two runs last season. She was completely switched off by Joseph O’Brien (who was putting up 1lb overweight), and when he angled her to the centre of the track she went past the five horses in front of her in a matter of strides and drew right away under just hands and heels before being eased down.

The final time wasn’t really impressive, nearly three seconds slower than the Group 3 Gladness Stakes run 35 minutes later, but all the damage with regards the final time was done in the first couple of furlongs of the maiden in which they dawdled. Actually, rough hand times indicate that the distance between the five-furlong marker and the 200-yard marker was covered in a similar time in the two races, and Moth completed the final 200 yards roughly a second quicker than Custom Cut, who was pressed all the way, did in the Gladness Stakes, and Moth was carrying just 2lb less.

Significantly, Aidan O’Brien was fulsome in his praise of the Galileo filly, afterwards and said she will probably be supplemented to the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, which is no surprise after this, especially as Coolmore have no other standout candidate. She should have no problem getting a mile. Indeed, she is bred to be a middle-distance filly, by Galileo out of a mare who has produced plenty of fairly classy middle-distance horses. She is a full-sister to Spin who was second to Banimpire in the Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes over a mile and a quarter, and was also second in the Listed Oyster Stakes at Galway over a mile and a half.

The way that Moth switched off here offers hope for her ability to go beyond a mile in time, but for the moment she looks very much a Guineas filly, and she could thrive over the Guineas trip. She has probably surprised her trainer with quite how much pace she has – she started off over a stiff mile on soft ground and she is entered for the Epsom Oaks but not the Guineas at Newmarket. She has obviously done really well from two to three, she looked very good under hold-up tactics here, and there is no telling how good she could be now.

7th April 2013