Boothen Boy

Boothen Boy was giving My Mate Mozzie a real race when he came down at the final flight in the Grade 3 For Auction Novice Hurdle at Navan last Sunday. A little keen through the early stages of the race, he was held up fourth or fifth of the seven runners through the early stages of the race. He wasn’t overly fluent at two of his hurdles in the back straight, but he moved up nicely around the outside as they rounded the home turn, and he joined the front rank at the third last flight. He travelled well up on the outside of the leader My Mate Mozzie on the run to the second last flight, but he wasn’t great at that obstacle, and he was a little out to his right, with the result that he had to get after the leader who picked up in front on the run to the final flight. About three parts of a length behind at the last, he appeared to be a little uncertain, and he just clipped the top of the obstacle and came down.
It was a pity that he fell, because he probably would have finished second at worst, in front of his much better-fancied stable companion Chemical Energy. It is probable that My Mate Mozzie would have won anyway, but you never know, Boothen Boy could have run him close.

Gordon Elliott’s horse made just about all the running when he won his maiden hurdle at Downpatrick in October, keeping on well up the hill to hold off the challenge of Dad’s Lad. He probably won that day with more in hand than the two-and-a-quarter-length winning margin, and Dads Lad enhanced that form when he won at Sligo two weeks later, and when he won a handicap hurdle at Cork on Sunday. He didn’t look straightforward there, he looked a little reluctant at the start, and he probably wasn’t ideally suited by having to lead, and he had to be encouraged to go down the back straight final time. He looked much more straightforward at Navan, however, able to take a lead. He is only four, he was the only four-year-old in Sunday’s race, and there is every chance that he will progress significantly as he matures and gains experience.
Navan, 7^th November 2021