Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘ELLE FOR LEATHER.. Ger’s filly ready to give it her all
ALTHOUGH unproven in soft ground, the Ger Lyons-trained Brunelle might land the €120,000 Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Race Final in Naas tomorrow.
The daughter of Kodiac has won two of her three starts, earning an official mark of 93, which gives her rock-solid claims in the final of this ultra-successful series.
Well-touted before her debut at Leopardstown in July, she came to collar For The Trees, the pair finishing clear of the third, subsequent winner Natural
Power.
Brunelle was then tried in
Group 3 company, in the
Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh. But, having raced close to the pace, she had to settle for sixth spot (beaten less than four lengths) behind Lope Y Fernandez.
Last time, trainer Lyons (inset) found a good opportunity for Brunelle to return to winning form, dropping back to five furlongs in a conditions event at Dundalk.
Having chased the leaders, she came through strongly to master 94-rated Phase After Phase inside the final furlong and scored going away.
Tomorrow, Brunelle will tackle seven furlongs and soft ground for the first time. But, if she copes, she should prove the one to beat in a competitive affair, where the likes of Noel Meade’s pair, Layfayette and Luke Short – plus top-weight Franklin Street – should be among the dangers.
Ger Lyons and Colin Keane will also be associated with our nap selection, Karawaan, back at the scene of his Irish Lincoln success, in the finale.
Formerly with Sir Michael Stoute in England, this five-year-old produced a couple of lacklustre efforts during the summer but hinted at a return to form when runner-up to Bopedro in a mile handicap at the Curragh last time. Stepping-up to a mile and a quarter and with Colin Keane back on board, Karawaan is preferred to Tony Martin’s rapidly-improving Bigger And Better, which has risen from 58 to 92 thanks to three wins from his last four starts, most recently when beating subsequent winner Pasley at Gowran Park.
In the listed action, Simply Beautiful, kept busy all season but still in good fettle judging by her recent third to Fanny Logan in a Group 3 in Newmarket, might earn overdue winning black type for Ballydoyle in the listed Bluebell Stakes.
Jessica Harrington’s Trethias, which beat subsequent Irish St Leger heroine Search Of A Song in the Naas Oaks Trial at this venue in mid-summer and finished fourth to Fanny Logan in that same Newmarket race, might cope sufficiently well with the drop to a mile in the listed Garnet Stakes.