La Petite Coco

Le Petite Coco did well to finish fourth behind Empress Josephine in the one-mile fillies’ maiden at Naas on Sunday. A little keen early on just behind the leaders, she was caught in traffic a little on the run to the two-furlong marker. She had the winner just beside her to her left, and she appeared to be travelling at least as well as her, but the gap didn’t open up for her, as it did for Empress Josephine. Billy Lee has to wait until, first, Blazing Star picked up on his outside, and then New York Angel came with her run, before he could ask his filly to pick up. When he did, La Petite Coco responded well, picked up nicely and finished off her race strongly to take fourth place, just over two lengths behind the winner.

It was a fine run by Andrew Kinirons’ filly on just her second run ever and her first since last November. The winner could prove to be a high-class filly, she is by Galileo out of Lillie Langtry, and she got to within two and a half lengths of her, without having had the run of the race. La Petite Coco shaped well on that racecourse debut last November at a big price, in a one-mile maiden at The Curragh on heavy ground, keeping on nicely to dead-heat for sixth place. Out of a half-sister to German Derby winner Lavirco, there is plenty of stamina in her pedigree and she shaped here as if she could do even better when she steps up in trip. She obviously handles soft ground well.
Naas, 28^th March 2021