Daliyra

The Michael Halford-trained Daliyra put up an eye-catching performance to finish second in a decent 10-furlong handicap at Navan on Sunday. Travelling well in rear for Fran Berry on this, her first try over 10 furlongs, she began to make progress from the two-furlong pole. Still no better than sixth a furlong out, she stayed on really well up the hill to take second place close home, a half a length behind the winner Vivacious Vivienne, who gave the form a significant boost by winning a valuable handicap at The Curragh subsequently off a 5lb higher mark.

All three of Daliyra’s previous runs were over a mile at Dundalk. She won the second of her two starts last term, staying on well to lead close home, and she performed more than creditably on her debut this term, when tried in cheekpieces for the first time, to finish third behind Paul Deegan’s colt Bashir Biyoum Zain (who won his only subsequent start), when she was held up out the back off a slow early pace. The cheekpieces were dispensed with at Navan on Sunday, and she never gave the impression that she needed them, she travelled well and she stayed on willingly up the hill. The handicapper raised her just 1lb for her Navan run, and that is more than fair. It was only the fourth run of her life, and she has a nice progressive profile now. She obviously likes being held up and coming through horses, but now that connections know that she stays 10 furlongs well, she could be ridden slightly closer to the pace next time. She is interesting.

16th May 2010