Vorda

Vorda was the main horse to take out of Sunday’s Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.

Slowly away from stall one, right against the stands rail, she was dropped in behind horses by Christophe Lemaire early on. Still disputing last place about three furlongs out, she moved towards the stands side to deliver her challenge.

She was still travelling well two furlongs out, but she had to make her own ground from there close to the stands rail as the race developed out in the centre of the track. Garswood, Thawaany and Fiesolana fought it out towards the centre of the track, as Vorda had about three lengths to make up on them from her position next to the stands rail. That was always going to be difficult. While it never looked like she was going to get there, she did run on all the way to the line, she was strongest at the finish, getting up to finish fifth, about two and a half lengths behind the winner Garswood.

This was a really fine run by Philippe Sogorb’s filly. The race was not run to suit, she was drawn away from the protagonists, the ground was softer than ideal and the six-and-a-half-furlong trip was probably sharper than ideal. Winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs last season, she probably didn’t get home in the Guineas over a mile at Newmarket in May.

On her only run between the Guineas and last Sunday, in a Group 3 race run over seven furlongs at Longchamp last month, she missed the break really badly before running on well to finish a close-up fourth behind Sommerabend and So Long Malpic, both of whom finished behind her on Sunday. She remains a potentially high-class filly, and she could be under-rated now given that she has not won now since the Cheveley Park. Seven furlongs on fast ground is probably her optimum, but she will also be interesting over an easy mile, especially on fast ground.

10th August 2014