Dorcas Lane

Dorcas Lane put up a nice performance to win the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes over 10 furlongs at Newmarket on Sunday but it was a performance which doesn’t seem to have been given the credit it deserves, and as such she may be under-rated next time out. She travelled well over on the far side, which may have been slightly unfavoured given that the wind was coming from that direction all weekend, and she picked up nicely when Paul Hanagan gave her a squeeze, with the result that the rider sat back up on her as they went into the Dip before kicking her out of it. She came away from some highly-regarded fillies, including Izzi Top and Primevere, both of whom travelled on the favoured stands side of the seven runners. She was in front for long enough but the challengers never looked like getting to her, she just seemed to be doing enough, and she found plenty, even extending her lead late on.

Having made her debut in January Dorcas Lane has improved well with each run since, this being her fourth, the last two coinciding with a step up to 10 furlongs. She previously ran well to finish second to Barbican at Doncaster in a race that was run at an unsuitably slow pace, and that horse went on to finish fourth in the Sandown Classic Trial and go very close off a 9lb higher mark than at Doncaster in the race after the Pretty Polly on Sunday.

Lucy Wadham’s filly is clearly progressive, she is entered in the Ribblesdale and should improve again for the step up to 12 furlongs, being by Norse Dancer out of a mare who was placed over 12 furlongs herself, a half-sister to the 1995 1000 Guineas winner Harayir. She is interesting.

1st May 2011

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