Bopedro

Bopedro only finished 10th in the seven-furlong ‘Sovereign Path’ handicap at Leopardstown on Saturday, but there could be better to come from him now. He was slowly enough away and it looked like he was a little out-paced through the first two furlongs. Last of the 18 runners as they left the back straight, he was still last as they straightened up for home with two furlongs to run. He made some ground from there, but he was among traffic and he couldn’t get any closer than 10th, but he was only beaten a total of four lengths by the winner Could Be King, keeping on at the finish.

This was Bopedro’s first run for Jessica Harrington, and it was his first run since he finished down the field in a listed race in Abu Dhabi in February when he was with Satish Seemar. He can go well fresh, he sprang a 25/1 shock on his seasonal debut last season, his first run for Jim Bolger, in a seven-furlong handicap at Cork, but he shaped here as if there could be more to come from him now.

Also, while he has won over seven furlongs, he put up his best performance so far in winning a one-mile handicap at The Curragh last September on soft ground off a mark of 93. It may be that he will be better when he steps back up to a mile, and when he gets back on softer ground. He did shape on Saturday as if he would do better when faced with a stiffer test. The handicapper dropped him by 1lb for Saturday’s run, to a mark of 95, which is just 2lb higher than the mark off which he won at The Curragh last September, and that is a mark off which he will be of interest in another competitive handicap, perhaps over a mile, perhaps on easier ground.

Leopardstown, 12th September 2020

© Sportinglife.com, 20th September 2020