Dawariya

Dawariya is worth noting after her run in the Leopardstown.com Handicap over nine furlongs on Saturday. She was drawn right on the inside in stall one and it is such a short run to the first turn over nine furlongs at Leopardstown that a fast start is key. Dawariya wasn’t too smartly away and so couldn’t get the best of positions around the turn, she was three or four back against the rail on the inside. She travelled sweetly through the race, but was checked a little by New Magic as they turned out of the back straight, and Johnny Murtagh had to pull back for a few strides. He angled her out slightly as they rounded the home turn, but she had nowhere to go and she got shuffled back a little. Murtagh had to bide his time before he could pull her to the outside, and she finished well but just failed to catch Rock And Roll Kid who had kicked on just inside the final furlong. She went down by a length with a gap of three and a half lengths back to the third horse, Elusive Ridge.

The winner is a useful horse in this grade, he has solid handicap form at a higher level and, perhaps most crucially, he had a better run through than the runner-up. He had raced behind her until the home turn, but he picked up well and quickened through a gap on her inside at the top of the home straight. He was away and gone by the time Dawariya had been brought to the outside and started to pick up.

Dawariya was comfortably best of the rest, and she would have gone close if she had avoided the trouble at the top of the home straight. Rock And Roll Kid has been rated as high as 107 in the past but was racing off 96 here and Dawariya has the potential to be a fair bit better than a 90-rated horse, her mark coming into this race. She has been raised 5lb for this run, which is a little harsh on the bare form of the run, but she is progressive enough to by-pass her new mark. She is the first foal of a mare from the family of Darshaan and Darara, the Prix Vermeille winner and dam of Group 1 winners Dariyoun, River Dancer, Dar Re Mi and Rewilding. The John Oxx horses are hitting top form now and she is better than this. She will be interesting wherever she goes next.

3rd September 2011

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