Hadman

Hadman only finished eighth in the valuable Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes at Naas on Monday, but he ran much better than that.

Sharply away from stall 12, he raced down the centre and disputed the early overall lead with Jarvis, who raced from stall one down the far rail.  He picked up nicely when Dylan Browne McMonagle asked him to on the run to the two-furlong marker, and he was the overall leader as they raced to the furlong pole, but he drifted to his left over towards the far side, in a race in which and on a day on which the stands-side runners appeared to have an advantage on the straight track.  He weakened close home as his early exertions told but, although he was only eighth, he was only beaten a total of three and a half lengths by Ger Lyons’ exciting filly Sacred Bridge.

The first four home in this year’s renewal of the Ballyhane raced, respectively, from stalls 20, 19, 17 and 18, and Hadman, who raced from stall 12, was the lowest-drawn of the first nine home.  As well as that, Hadman finished off his race close to the inside rail, probably on the worst of the grond.  It was a fine run by Joseph O’Brien’s horse in the circumstances, racing prominently too in a race in which the hold-up horses on the near side came to the fore.  His run was not dissimilar to Measure Of Magic’s run in the Ballyhane last year, Johnny Murtagh’s filly racing prominently from stall three and hitting the front inside the two-furlong marker before being overhauled close home by the closers on the near side and finishing just seventh overall.   Measure Of Magic, now a dual listed race winner and third in the Commonwealth Cup, finished a close-up third in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes on her next run.

Hadman is a dual winner, and he finished a good third behind another exciting horse of Ger Lyons’, Beauty Inspire, in the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes at The Curragh on Irish Oaks day on his last run before Monday.  A winner over seven furlongs and out of a Galileo mare who won over 10 furlongs, an easy seven furlongs on a speed-favouring track could be ideal for him. He has plenty of good entries and he will be of interest wherever he goes now.
Naas, 2^nd August 2021