Lifetime Ambition

Lifetime Ambition ran very well on his hurdling debut to finish second to Fighter Allen in the two-mile-five-and-a-half-furlong maiden hurdle at Punchestown on Sunday. Nicely settled early on by Sean O’Keeffe in mid-division and towards the inside, his jumping was good for a debutant. He made good progress from the third last flight to move well in behind the leaders, but he stumbled a little on landing over the second last, which wasn’t ideal, just as the pace was increasing. Ridden along in fifth place as they rounded the home turn, he stuck to his task well on the inside. He moved into third place on the run to the last, and he stayed on strongly up the run-in to get to within three parts of a length of favourite Fighter Allen by the time they got to the winning line.

The winner may have been idling or tiring in front but, a half-brother to Envoi Allen, he could be very good, and Lifetime Ambition did well to continue to close on him all the way to the line. In so doing, Jessica Harrington’s horse came three and a half lengths clear of Idas Boy, a point-to-point winner and a dual bumper runner-up who was another interesting hurdling debutant. Lifetime Ambition is a point-to-point winner himself. He was well beaten in his two bumpers last winter, and he was weak in the market on this, his first run over hurdles and his first run since February, so there is every chance that he will improve for this run. Out of a sister to the high-class mare J’y Vole, he could improve too for a step up to three miles on this evidence. He could be winning his maiden soon before stepping up in grade.

Punchestown, 15th November 2020, © Sportinglife.com, 16th November 2020