Wee Pablo

Wee Pablo did well to finish third in the seven-furlong apprentices’ handicap at The Curragh on Monday.

Fast away from stall nine, he moved over towards the far rail and led the 23-runner field at a decent pace. He travelled well in front, and he picked up when Dylan Browne-McMonagle asked him to pick up at the two-furlong marker. Even when he was joined by Ottawa Fire, he kept going tenaciously until Pretty Rebel came from miles back after missing the start and ran the pair of them down close home.
It was a good run in defeat by Pat Martin’s horse though, given that he raced prominently and towards the far side in a race in which the first two home raced towards the near side from stalls 22 and 15 respectively, with the winner Pretty Rebel missing the start completely but still getting up to win. The previous three renewals of this race had been won by horses who raced, respectively, from stalls 17, 15 and 17.

This was just Wee Pablo’s sixth race, and just his second on turf. On his first run on turf, at Leopardstown two and a half weeks earlier, he had made all the running to land a seven-furlong handicap off a mark of 57, in a race from which the second and third came out and finished second and third again in another handicap at Gowran Park. Raised by 9lb for that win, Wee Pablo proved here that he was well up to his new mark of 66. He remains progressive and he will be of interest wherever he goes next.
The Curragh, 3^rd May 2021