Luke Short

Luke Short did well to come from the rear to get up and take third place behind Real Appeal in the seven-furlong handicap at Leopardstown on Sunday. Well enough away from his outside draw in stall 12, the Sayif gelding settled nicely towards the rear of the field for Sam Ewing. Declan McDonogh got to the front on Pulse Of Shanghai and steadied it down, and Sam Ewing had to bide his time until he could wheel to the outside in the home straight and ask his horse for his effort. Just 15th of the 16 runners as they raced inside the two-furlong marker, Luke Short picked up well when he got into the clear towards the near side, and he stayed on well past horses to get up for third place. It never looked like he was going to catch the well-backed winner Real Appeal, who picked up well just in front of him, but he ran all the way to the line, just failing to catch Dream Today for the runner-up spot.

It was a good run by Noel Meade’s horse on his seasonal debut. Winner of a nursery at Naas over a mile in September 2019, he only raced three times last year as a three-year-old, and he looked good in winning an apprentices’ rated race over a mile at Leopardstown on the second of those runs. He should come on for this run, his first since last September, and he shaped as if he would benefit from a step back up to a mile. He obviously goes well at Leopardstown, so he will be of particular interest if and when he goes back there, and his best runs have been on good ground.
Leopardstown, 11^th April 2021