Levanto

Levanto is worth noting after winning well at The Curragh on Sunday despite not having had the race run to suit.

Mourani ensured the race was run at a strong gallop throughout by going off clear, and the second horse also raced a little way clear of Levanto, who in turn was a couple of lengths ahead of the main group of runners in third. Willie Mullins’ filly moved up strongly approaching the home straight, cruised up on the outside of Longshadow to take second place three furlongs out, then eased past Mourani, thereby finding herself in front almost two furlongs from home. She drifted out to her left once in front, over towards the near side of the track, but she knuckled down well for Johnny Murtagh when Zarkiyr, who had been ridden much more patiently, one from last for most of the way, came through to challenge strongly inside the final furlong. It looked as though Shane Foley had timed it perfectly on Zarkiyr, he traded at 1.37 in-running, but Levanto found extra in the final strides and stretched her head out willingly at the line.

The daughter of Lawman was stepping up from a mile to a mile and a half here for her handicap debut, and was moving from heavy ground to fast ground, but she is out of a half-sister to St Leger winner Rule Of Law and she improved for the combination of trip and ground. She is lightly-raced – this was just the fourth run of her life – and progressive, and she clocked a good time, considerably faster than the other two races on the card run over a mile and a half and comparatively second fastest on the day only Trading Leather’s time in the Listed Silver Stakes. She was winning off a mark of 84 here, and she has been raised to a mark of 92 for this, but there should be more to come from her. She should be able to win a handicap off her new mark, and she could even prove to be better than a handicapper. Also, given that she is trained by Willie Mullins, she would be a high-class hurdling recruit if she did happen to go down that route.

9th June 2013