We’ll Go Walking

We’ll Go Walking has made a really bright start to her career over the past three weeks, running out a comfortable winner of a mile-and-a-half Gowran Park maiden on her debut and taking a big step forward in finishing just half a length behind the high-class Caponata in the Listed Victor McCalmont Memorial Stakes back at Gowran on Sunday.

Jim Bolger’s filly did really well to get as close as she did to Caponata, with the pair of them eight lengths clear of the talented Aloof back in third, on just her second run. She tried to make all and, having won over a mile and a half on her debut (when she was a 16/1 shot, and passed over by Kevin Manning in favour of Bunreacht), this nine-and-a-half-furlong trip was probably short of her best, as evidenced by the fact that she raced all the way to the line even after being passed. Also, she probably raced on the worst of the ground towards the inside rail in the home straight. Several winners on the day came down the middle of the track in the home straight and that was where Caponata made her ground before edging back across towards We’ll Go Walking late on.

We’ll Go Walking is out of a sister to Teofilo who won over a mile and a quarter on fast ground, so We’ll Go Walking could be even better back on quicker ground than this. Also, by Authorized, you would expect that this trip would be an absolute minimum for her.

Caponata quickly developed into a very talented filly herself last year, she was beaten just a short head by Up in the Group 2 Blandford Stakes at The Curragh, and Dermot Weld said after this that he thinks she could step up into Group 1 class this season, so We’ll Go Walking did really well to get as close to her as she did. She should progress again from this and she could even be an Oaks filly. She could be that good. She is not entered at Epsom but she is in the Irish Oaks.

28th April 2013