Mayflower
Mayflower put up an encouraging performance on her seasonal return in the Priory Belle Stakes at Leopardstown on Sunday. Taken back early on by Seamie Heffernan from her wide draw and crossing over behind runners onto the inside rail, she was last of the 13 runners as a consequence as they left the back straight. She made nice progress on the inside around the home turn, and she shaped as if she might be involved when the straightened up for home. She picked up smartly when her rider asked her to, she clocked the fastest third last furlong. But her effort flattened out inside the final furlong as lack of a recent run probably took its toll on the energy-sapping ground. She had to race closest to the inside rail too, probably on the worst of the ground with the first three home all coming down the stands side.
This was still a nice return to action by Stephen Thorne's filly on just her second run ever. it was her first run since she won her maiden over seven and a half furlongs on yielding to soft ground at Leopardstown last July, a race from which the second, third and fourth all came out and won subsequently last year. She was slowly away that day, she was last of seven into the home straight, but she picked up well and she stayed on strongly to get the better of the now 82-rated Teewinot, with the pair of them nicely clear. She should be able to progress from this run and, out of a mare who won over a miles and a half, from the family of Prix d'Ispahan winner Laverock, a Group 1 winner in Italy over a mile and a half, she should improve for stepping up in trip.
Leopardstown, 13th April 2026
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