Meeznah

Meeznah ran a cracker when going down by a neck to Snow Fairy in the Investec Oaks at Epsom on Friday. David Lanigan’s filly was held up towards the outside when they settled down, but she never really looked at home on the track and didn’t look to be travelling that well just before they turned into the home straight. But she did begin to make good headway two and a half furlongs out, coming down the outside of runners. She was a little short of room at the two-furlong marker, but she picked up again when in the clear and looked the likely winner entering the final furlong. In the end she just gave best to the late surge of Snow Fairy, getting caught for a turn of foot before running on gamely well inside the final 100 yards.

There was a lot to like about this run from Meeznah especially given her relative inexperience – this was just her fourth ever run. Also, she was drawn wide and never looked at home on the undulations but the way she picked up for pressure and ran on again when headed late on was highly promising.

The daughter of Dynaformer had only won her maiden (impressively, by nine lengths) at Newmarket in May on her previous run, and she should improve a lot for this experience. Snow Fairy, under an inspired Ryan Moore, was a deserving winner on the day, while the third filly, Remember When, ran a solid race, stepping up in trip after her good run in the Irish 1000 Guineas, and the three finished four lengths clear of Rumoush back in fourth. On the face of it, Meeznah looks like an out and out stayer – she is out of a Sadler’s Wells mare who won over a mile and a half, and she is a half-sister to Shahin, who finished third in a listed race over a mile and six – and it bodes particularly well that she finished in between two fillies with plenty of speed in a race that was run to suit the speedier fillies. The Irish Oaks is said to be her target and that makes sense, the more conventional track there would suit her much better than Epsom did, and with more improvement likely to come, she would be a big player.

4th June 2010