Lust

Lust put up a nice performance on his seasonal debut under a big weight to finish third in the seven-furlong handicap at Naas on Sunday. Weak in the market beforehand, Ger Lyons’ horse wasn’t that sharply away, but he made nice ground early to adopt a good position from his low draw, along the inside and just behind the pace. He led into the home straight, and he still travelled well as they raced to the two-furlong marker. He picked up nicely too when Colin Keane asked him to, he led until the run to the furlong marker. He tired inside the final furlong, he gave best to Spanish Tenor and That’s Just Dandy, but he kept on well enough to retain third place, just a neck behind That’s Just Dandy.

It was a fine performance by the Newtown Anner Stud horse on his first run since last October, under a welter weight of 10st 4lb and conceding a stone and more to all his rivals. As well as that, he raced against the inside rail up the home straight from his low draw, probably on the worst of the ground. Zero from three as a juvenile, he did well last year as a three-year-old after he had been gelded, winning three of his five races and rounding off his campaign with an impressive performance in making just about all the running in a one-mile handicap at Gowran Park in October on soft ground off a mark of 90. He is up to a mark of 99 now, but that should be within range on this evidence, especially if he can get back on softer ground. His best performances have been on soft or heavy ground, and he appears to be equally adept over seven furlongs and a mile. He holds an entry in the Group 3 Gladness Stakes over seven furlongs at The Curragh on 10th April, and he will be of interest if he takes his chance in that, especially if the ground comes up soft.
Naas, 27^th March 2022