Mrs Bouquet

Mrs Bouquet was unlucky not to finish closer than she did in the six-furlong fillies’ handicap at Naas on Sunday. Settled back just behind the leaders by Ronan Whelan and along the inside rail early on, she was angled off the rail just inside the three-furlong marker, but she couldn’t get out into the clear as the eventual winner Affable travelled well up on the near side. A half a gap in front of her which looked like it might develop between Deidra and Misterio failed to materialise too, with the result that Ronan Whelan had to sit and suffer until he got a gap deep inside the final furlong. When he did, Mrs Bouquet picked up nicely and ran into third place, just over a length in front of Affable. You can’t say that she definitely would have won if she had had a clear run, but she almost certainly would have finished closer than she did.

This was another good run by Jack Davison’s filly. On her previous run, she had kept on well on the far side to finish sixth in the Rockingham Handicap, finishing off her race well out towards the centre. The handicapper left her on her mark of 83 after that, and he raised her by 2lb for Saturday’s run to a mark of 85, but that is a mark off which she remains of interest, it is still 12lb lower than her mark at the start of last season when she was with Mark Johnston. There could be a good sprint handicap in her now off that mark.
Naas, 3^rd July 2021