Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HOD CAN CARRY ADAM TO GLORY
Girl can cement reputation and make it three from three
HODD’S GIRL might be capable of defying a career-high mark in the Graeme Woods Memorial Handicap in Dundalk. The five-year-old Zebedee mare has won three of her five outings since joining Ado Mcguinness, scored with authority over course and distance last time and might make it three from three under stable apprentice Adam Caffrey.
Hodd’s Girl won on her stable debut at Naas, off a mark of 57 – beaten next time at Laytown – then scored over seven furlongs on polytrack off 68.
Off a 10lb higher mark, she ran a cracker when beaten three-quarters of a length by subsequent winner and course and distance specialist Marsa on her penultimate start.
And she bounced back to winning ways last time, coming through strongly to take command inside the final furlong to beat Ampeson and one of tonight’s rivals Tai Sing Yeh, for which she’s gone up another 5lb to a mark of 84.
Hodd’s Girl is stepping-up in grade tonight, into a 0-90 handicap. But she’s clearly in tremendous form and gets the vote to register her fourth win for Mcguinness, at the probably expense of another recent course and distance winner Dandyville.
Ado Mcguinness also has prospects with
Lisieux in the opening two-year-old claimer. Ronan Whelan’s mount coming into the race on the back of a Naas nursery win and a solid fifth behind Wave Machine in the Birdcatcher at the same venue.
Arguably the most interesting runner on the card is the Ger Lyons (inset) trained debutante Evidently So in the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Fillies Maiden.
This Footstepsinthesand filly, a €135,000 purchase, is a half-sister to Glenburnie’s 2020 Juddmonte Irish Oaks winner Even So and won’t have to be a champion to land this on debut. The market should prove a good guide.