Indie Belle

Indie Belle was unlucky in the end in the two-mile-six-and-a-half-furlong handicap hurdle at Navan on Sunday. She did lots right, Aidan Kelly quickly had her into a nice racing and jumping rhythm in front. She had her rivals well stretched out from early, and, while they assembled in behind her on the run across the top of the track, it looked like her rider had held plenty in reserve. She was still in front on the run to the final flight, apparently still travelling well, which is probably the point at which she traded at 1.8 in-running. She was just a little unsure at the final flight, and she stumbled badly on the landing side. She did well to find a leg, and her rider did really well to remain on board. She battled on bravely up the hill to finish sixth in the end behind Wa Wa.

Of course, it is impossible to know where Indie Belle would have finished if she had jumped the final flight well. Robert Widger’s mare was run out of it close home after leading for most of the way on her previous run at Navan, she traded at 1.1 in-running that day, but she wasn’t travelling as well down to the final flight that day as she was last Sunday. The handicapper left her on her mark of 95, and there is surely a handicap in her now off this mark. Her trainer has her in really good form these days, her last four runs have all been good, and she will be of interest wherever she goes now, over hurdles or over fences. She remains unexposed over fences. She holds  entries in two chases at Thurles on Thursday, and she will be of interest if she takes up one of those.
Navan, 12^th February 2023