Mozzies Sister
Mozzies Sister kept on well to finish third in the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle at Navan on Saturday, coming from off the pace in a race that was not run at a strong gallop. Starting off fifth of the six runners, fully four or five lengths behind the leader Fleur In The Park on the run to the first flight, she was still second last a circuit and a half later when they straightened up for home. Taken towards the outside by Shane Fitzgerald early in the home straight, she made nice ground towards the leaders from the third last flight. She came under a ride between the last two flights and, while she could never get into a challenging position, as The Yellow Clay challenged Fleur In The Park on the run-in, she kept on up the hill behind the leading pair to take third place.
This was a race in which the prominent racers were favoured. Cian Quirke rode a superb waiting race in front on Fleur In The Park, he set sedate fractions from flagfall and he nearly pulled off an unlikely victory, he was only just caught close home by the odds-on favourite. A finishing speed percentage of just over 116%, up the hill, tells you that it was difficult for the hold-up horses, and Mozzies Sister did well to get as close as she did. Declan Queally's mare is only five, and this was just her second run over hurdles. A dual bumper winner, she wasn't hugely impressive in winning her maiden hurdle on her hurdling bow at Galway in October, but this was a good step forward from that. A point-to-point winner, this was her first attempt over two and a half miles under Rules, and she saw out the trip well. There is plenty of stamina in her pedigree, and she should do even better off a stronger pace at the trip.
This is usually a good race, it has been won by Slade Steel and Inthepocket and Death Duty and Latest Exhibition and Ashdale Bob in the past, and three of the five runners in last year's renewal won at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.
Navan, 7th December 2024
Back