Drumfire

Drumfire ran a cracker to finish second to Universal Truth in the opening maiden hurdle at Galway on Tuesday evening. The winner led more or less all the way, Drumfire had to go wide on the run down the hill, he was a little flat-footed over the second last and a bit to his left, and he had to go around Clonard Lad before he could go and challenge Universal Truth. Even at that he was only a length down jumping the last, but he got in tight to that obstacle and came out of is a couple of lengths down. He hung in behind the leader a little half way up the run-in, but when Barry Geraghty switched his whip to his right hand and pulled him towards the outside, he picked up again and finished really well, going down by just a half a length in the end, with the front pair finishing well clear.

Universal Truth is a potentially high class hurdler. A top class bumper horse, he was too free in the early stages on his only previous run over hurdles at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day last year. We didn't see him since then, but he was obviously well primed for this, given that he hails from Rosewell House. Drumfire gets very interesting now as well. He was a high class performer on the flat for Mark Johnston, winning a good handicap at Glorious Goodwood last year and achieving a rating of 110, and he acquitted himself really well on his debut for Eoin Griffin in a listed race at Leopardstown two weeks ago, staying on well to take second place behind the high class Profound Beauty. He jumped well on Tuesday on his hurdling debut, and he is an exciting recruit. He should win his maiden next time without much fuss, and he could go on to much better things.

27th July 2010

© The Irish Field, 31st July 2010

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