Mt Leinster

Mt Leinster had no luck in the Galway Hurdle. He was fairly badly hampered when Felix Desjy fell in front of him at the second flight. He lost ground there, and he lost momentum, and he seemed to be a little ponderous over the next two flights, possibly as a consequence. He landed awkwardly over the third flight, and he made a significant mistake at the fourth. He was wider than ideal going down the back straight, and he was further back than ideal, so he did well to come back on the bridle as he did, and to make progress on the run down the hill to move in behind the leaders. He had done a lot of running to get there though, and he just kept on over the last and up the hill to take sixth place behind his stable companion Aramon.

Interestingly, the race didn’t pan out as looked likely beforehand. Felix Desjy didn’t lead at his customary breakneck pace, and they didn’t go a mad gallop as a result. Four of the first five home raced prominently from flagfall, and the five of them occupied the first five places as they started down the hill four furlongs out, with all five racing towards the inside. Mt Leinster did well to get as close as he did, given that he raced wide and well back in the field – he was no better than 13th when they started down the hill – and that he suffered the interference that he suffered.

Willie Mullins’ horse is a talented individual, and he has lots of potential to progress now as a hurdler. He beat Entoucas and Concertista and The Very Man in his maiden hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival last December, form that has worked out well since, and he ran out an impressive winner of the 12-furlong amateur riders’ maiden at Galway on Monday evening. He is only six, he has raced just four times over hurdles, and he has the potential to go well beyond his current handicap rating of 142. He will be of interest in another good handicap hurdle now.

Galway, 30^th July 2020