Morga

Morga ran much better than her finishing position suggests in the two-mile handicap hurdle at Punchestown on Tuesday.

Prominent from early, Des McDonogh’s mare travelled strongly for Danny Mullins down the back straight, just up on the outside of leader Rich Coast. Level with Rich Coast and The Plan Man in the front rank as they left the back straight, her rider had to take a tug as they raced across the bottom of the track. She got in tight to the third last flight, which didn’t help, but she jumped the second last well, and she moved easily into the lead as they started around the home turn. She was quickly joined by To Choose, and she started to weaken on the run to the final flight, but she still jumped the obstacle in a close-up third before weakening on the run-in as her early exertions told.

This is a race that was dominated by the hold up horses, so it was to Morga’s credit that she was able to last as long as she did in front, and to travel as easily as she did into the home straight. The two horses who disputed the early prominent positions with her, Rich Coast and The Plan Man, both faded out of it from the top of the home straight.

Morga is only six, and this was her first run since last November, so she is entitled to come on for it. She will be of interest wherever she goes next, and she could be a Galway horse. She ran well to finish third in the Guinness Handicap Hurdle at last year’s Galway Festival, when she looked a likely winner as they raced into the dip. By soft ground influence Whipper, she will be of particular interest if it happens to come up soft for Galway this year, as it can.

26^th April 2016