Warm Heart

Warm Heart could only finish fifth in the Irish Oaks at The Curragh last Saturday, but it wasn’t her true running on the soft ground. Settled back in the field early on by Seamie Heffernan from her wide draw, she was last of the eight runners early on. Moved towards the outside as they raced around the home turn, she picked up all right, but her progress was gradual rather than instant. She just kept on on the outside, finishing fifth in the end, five and a half lengths behind the winner, her stable companion Savethelastdance.

Warm Heart won her maiden on soft ground but, in this grade, it looks like it found her out. This wasn’t her true running. Aidan O’Brien’s filly is better-judged on the performance that she put up in winning the Ribblesdale Stakes on her previous run on better ground. She was prominent from early too in the Ribblesdale, as she was when she won her maiden and when she won a strong listed race at Newbury in May, and a return to those tactics and to better ground could see her step forward again. This was just her sixth run, so there could still be much more to come.
The Curragh, 22^nd July 2023