Feet Of A Dancer
Wodhooh won again, she is a remarkable mare, that's nine from 10 over hurdles, her only defeat coming at the hands of Lossiemouth in the Aintree Hurdle last April. But the performance that Feet Of A Dancer put up in finishing second to Gordon Elliott's mare in the Grade 3 mares' hurdle at Leopardstown on Monday may have gone a little under the radar. Settled in second place early on by Sean O'Keeffe behind Dream On Baby, she moved to the front at the entrance to the home straight, and she stretched on over the second last and around the home turn. She was tackled by Wodhooh on the run to the final flight, and she gave best early on the run-in, but she stuck to her task well to finish a clear second, over three lengths ahead of Dream On Baby in third.
It was a big run by Paul Nolan's mare taking on a top-class mare under a combination of trip and ground that was probably less than optimal. She stays further than this extended two-and-a-half-mile trip and she is probably even better on softer ground. Fourth in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham last March, when she was held up in a race in which the prominent racers were dominant, she proved herself to be as good as ever on her debut this season when she won a listed mares' hurdle at Punchestown on soft ground. She will be of obvious interest when she can get back on softer ground again, and she could do even better in the Pertemps Final this year, if she gets qualified now and if that is her target again.
Leopardstown, 29th December 2025
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