Indigo Breeze

Indigo Breeze put up a good performance to finish second behind Autumn Evening in a good two-mile hurdle at Fairyhouse last Saturday. He was settled nicely towards the rear of the five-runner field early on by Davy Russell, but they were all in a bunch as they rounded the home turn, and he got caught a little flat-footed when they quickened. He wasn’t fast at the second last flight just as the pace was increasing as, by contrast, the ultimate winner Autumn Evening flew that flight and quickly set up a race-winning advantage. Indigo Breeze kept on well from there though, he moved into a clear second, away from Top Moon and Daly Tiger, and, while it never really looked like he would get to Autumn Evening, he closed on him all the way to the line.

It was a wholly likeable performance by Gordon Elliott’s horse, on just his fourth run over hurdles. Winner of his only point-to-point and of his only bumper, he got off the mark over hurdles on his previous run, when he stayed on well to get up and beat Deploy The Getaway over two miles at Gowran Park. That was back in November, this was his first run since, and he probably got caught out by a lack of match practice and a lack of experience more than by a lack of pace when they quickened. Autumn Evening is a talented and pacey horse, a Lartigue Hurdle winner, an experienced horse who has a mark of 82 on the flat and who was racing for the 14th time on Saturday. Indigo Breeze should be able to step forward from this run, he should benefit from the experience, and he could progress for a stiffer test of stamina than that presented by two miles on the inside track at Fairyhouse.
Fairyhouse, 15^th January 2022