Martlet

Martlet put up an impressive performance to win the Listed Galtres Stakes at York on Thursday, and she is a filly who is on a steep upward trajectory.

Always travelling well towards the rear of the field for Frankie Dettori, John Gosden’s filly moved easily towards the leaders at the two-furlong pole. She had enough energy in reserve to engineer a gap for herself, she moved easily into that gap and, when Dettori gave her a squeeze, she picked up impressively. In a matter of a couple of strides she had set up a race-winning advantage for herself, and her rider was able to ease her close home and give her a pat down the shoulder.

Visually, this was a really impressive performance, and the form looks rock solid. Runner-up Koora is a lightly-raced progressive filly who was well backed and who represented Luca Cumani, who made this race his own with eight winners during the 1990s, while back in fourth was Suffused, the well-backed favourite, a 100-rated filly who had finished second in a red-hot listed race at Salisbury on her previous run. Suffused travelled easily in front early in the home straight, looking a likely winner, before she was passed by Koora, who travelled like a likely winner, before she was, in turn, overhauled by Martlet, who cam- away to win impressively.

One of three John Gosden fillies in the race, and the choice of Frankie Dettori, this was just Martlet’s fifth ever race. She won her maiden at Chelmsford in April and returned there in early August to easily land a handicap off a mark of 84. That race was run over 10 furlongs, but she saw it out well, shaping as though a step up to Thursday’s 12-furlong trip would be well within range, which it duly was.

The Galtres Stakes is only a listed race, but it has been a springboard to good things in the past. Kastoria won it in 2005, and she went on to win an Irish St Leger, while Pale Mimosa, last year’s Lonsdale Cup winner, won it in 2012. Of course, Martlet has a long way to go if she is going to emulate either of those fillies’ achievements, but she has lots of potential now. She won with plenty in hand, and she clocked a faster time than the time that Pleascach clocked in winning the Yorkshire Oaks a half an hour earlier. She should improve again with this experience under her belt, and she should be worth following.

20^th August 2015