Liberty Dance

Liberty Dance could have won the Grade 2 mares’ bumper at Leopardstown last Sunday had she enjoyed a little more luck than she had through the closing stages of the race. Settled nicely by Lisa O’Neill in mid-division early on, she was still well back in the field and along the inside as they raced to the end of the back straight. She made some ground around the inside as they raced around the home turn, and she travelled well into the home straight, just behind the leaders. She got a little tapped for toe as they quickened in front of her from the outside, but she found lots for pressure. She just had to switch off the rail as they raced inside the final furlong, as the favourite Pink In The Park moved across towards the inside in front of her, and that might have made the difference between winning and losing. She didn’t lose much momentum, but she was only beaten a nose and a short head, closing all the way to the line.

Gordon Elliott’s mare was racing for just the second time here. Winner of her bumper on her racecourse debut at Fairyhouse in December, she was the outside of two Gordon Elliott-trained, Tim O’Driscoll-owned mares in the race, behind second favourite Harmonya Maker, but she didn’t go unbacked, available at morning odds of 20/1 and 25/1 and sent off at an SP of 14/1. A half-sister to six winners, she should be able to go on from this now, just her second run, and she will be of interest if she takes her chance in one or two of the graded mares’ bumpers at the spring festivals.
Leopardstown, 6^th February 2022