Serious Attitude

Serious Attitude put up a really fine performance in winning a really hot Group 3 race for fillies and mares at York on Friday on her first start in 68 days, her first run since she disappointed in the Guineas. She was slowly enough away from stall one on the outside, but that was probably by design and Eddie Ahern was in no real rush with her early. She travelled well through the first two furlongs up on the outside of the field, just about three parts of a length behind favourite Lesson In Humility immediately to her right, who was herself in the front rank. Andrew Elliott went for Lesson In Humility before Ahern went for his filly, and both picked up impressively passing the two-furlong pole. There was a little bit of trouble-in-running towards the near side, with Look Busy and Swiss Diva having small traffic problem, but almost certainly nothing that would have materially affected the result.

Lesson In Humility and Serious Attitude started to draw clear of the rest of the field passing the furlong pole, and they had a real duel for the last 200 yards. It first looked like Karl Burke’s filly was going to prove the stronger, that her race-fitness was going to prove decisive, as she went a head or a neck up, but Serious Attitude responded gamely to Ahern’s urgings, clawed back the deficit and went on to win by a head, the pair of them pulling four lengths clear of their rivals.

This was a huge performance from Rae Guest’s filly. She had lots of questions to answer after her disappointing run in the Guineas, it wasn’t certain whether she didn’t stay in the Guineas or whether she just hadn’t trained on from two to three. Also, she was weak in the market before Friday’s contest, but she answered all the questions, and then some. Everything about this run was rock solid. Runner-up Lesson In Humility is a high class sprinter, even against the colts and geldings, and she is in the form of her life these days, as she proved when she finished third in the Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot, just beaten less than three lengths. The front pair pulled over three lengths clear of their rivals, and the time was really good, 0.13secs/furlong faster than standard on a day when the sprint track was estimated to be riding just 0.04secs/furlong faster than standard.

Guest is talking about bringing the daughter of Mtoto over to Deauville now for the Prix Maurice de Gheest, and that is really interesting. Although she may meet Paco Boy there, she might be over-priced against him. This was just a Group 3 race, restricted to fillies, run on a day when most attention was focussed on the July Cup at Newmarket, so the quality of the performance may not be fully recognised. Six and a half furlongs could be her optimum trip, and she is really interesting wherever she goes next.

10th July 2009

© The Irish Field, 18th July 2009