Shale

Shale was really impressive in winning the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes.  She was sharply away from her wide draw, and she was quickly into a nice racing rhythm for Gavin Ryan behind the early leader Finest, who took them along at a good pace.  She travelled well into the home straight, and she picked up nicely when her rider asked her to.  She moved up on the outside of the leader just inside the two-furlong marker, and she stayed on strongly from there to hold off the challenge of Pretty Gorgeous.

It was a taking performance by Donnacha O’Brien’s filly.  Winner of her maiden at Gowran Park on soft to heavy ground on her previous run, she handled the much better ground here well.  She was strong all the way to the line, she was always holding the well-fancied Pretty Gorgeous, who had been impressive in winning her maiden at Bellewstown on her only previous start, and the pair of them pulled nicely clear of their rivals.  It looked like a strong race beforehand, despite a couple of defections, it was run at a strong pace, and the winning time was good, a little faster than the time that Military Style clocked in winning the colts’ Group 3 race, the Tyros Stakes, a half an hour later, and over two seconds faster than the seven-furlong handicap.  The last three renewals of this race were won by Love, Skitter Scatter and Happily, who all went on to win the Moyglare Stud Stakes, and that is the obvious target now for Shale.  By Galileo out of 1000 Guineas winner Homecoming Queen, a three-parts sister to Dylan Thomas, she could be a Classic filly for next season.

Leopardstown, 6^th August 2020