Zoinnocent

Zoinnocent made good progress fro the rear to take second place behind Never Ending Story in the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown last Thursday. Weak in the market beforehand, she was last of the six runners early on and into the home straight but, wheeled to the outside by Shane Crosse, she picked up well and she finished off her race strongly on the near side. She was still actually sixth of the six runners passing the furlong pole, but she had momentum up at that stage and she was strong through the final furlong, getting to within a half a length of the winner by the time they got to the winning line.

This was another step forward from Joseph O’Brien’s filly on just her third run. She had shaped encouragingly on her racecourse debut at The Curragh on Irish Guineas weekend in a maiden that has since worked out well, and she followed up by running out an impressive winner of her maiden at Gowran Park over seven furlongs on her next run. A sister to Gallinule Stakes winner Hannibal Barca, she should get further than this seven-furlong trip in time, her racing style suggests that she will too. She could be a middle-distance filly for next season. She holds entries in all the obvious races, the Debutante and the Moyglare, as well as in the Futurity Stakes and in the big sales race at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting. She will be of interest wherever she goes next, and she will be of particular interest when she steps up in trip.
Leopardstown, 21^st July 2022