Gold Bubbles

With all the talk about Aviate after the Musidora Stakes at York on Wednesday, the way in which she overcame traffic problems to win the race, the performance that the Jim Bolger-trained Gold Bubbles put up to finish second went completely under the radar, and she could be significantly under-rated now as a result. There is no doubt that Aviate did put up a good performance, she was short of room two furlongs out, she was checked again a furlong out as Eleanor Duse and Bikini Babe converged, and she showed a fine turn of foot to go from a length down to a head up inside the final 100 yards. However, she did benefit from having an inside run throughout the race, hard up against the rail all the way around the home turn. Also, as long as you can get the gaps when you need them, most horses are better racing in behind horses with cover until as late as possible. Gold Bubbles, by contrast, had no cover. She was drawn towards the outside, she raced three wide down the back straight, she was three horse-widths off the rail all the way around the home turn, and she had no cover at any stage in the home straight. For all of that, she travelled well up the home straight, she moved up nicely for Kevin Manning up on the outside of the Ballymacoll filly Eleanor Duse as that one began to pick up, she did try to hang a little to her left as she came under pressure, but it didn't stop her going forward, she joined Eleanor Duse at the furlong pole before her rider resorted to the whip, and she went a half a length up 100 yards out, race over - she traded at the floor price of 1/100 in-running on Betfair - before she got mugged by Aviate in the shadow of the post.

A good juvenile last season though falling a little short of top class, the daughter of Street Cry raced too freely in the Athasi Stakes on her debut this season to be able to do herself justice, but she settled well here even though she was competing over a much longer distance. Indeed, the step up from seven furlongs to 10 and a half furlongs seems to have brought about significant improvement. She is not entered in the Oaks, and it looks like Wednesday's impressive Naas winner Akdarena is the Bolger filly for Epsom anyway, but she is in the Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh on Derby weekend. The 10-furlong trip of that contest could be her optimum, and she could be a player in that race at a decent price.

12th May 2010

© The Irish Field, 15th May 2010

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