Julia Brooke Racing

A Pair Of Threes

Last Sunday saw us not joining the majority of the country in either watching the World Cup Final, the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon, or sunbathing on what was another scorching hot day, but instead going racing. To be fair one of the team started the afternoon sunbathing but more on that later……

Dear Dora delighted on her debut at (unfortunately for continuity of that sentence it wasn’t Doncaster…..) Southwell.

But first up Copt Hill earned his carrots from Kev (work rider & self-appointed Chairman of the Copt Hill Fan Club – membership of two to date but rapidly growing!)

With Sean Quinlan deputising for Henry, who had been stood down after a fall earlier in the day, Copty was having his first run since a recent wind operation in the 3m, 0-100 handicap hurdle. He behaved impeccably until sighting the jockeys entering the paddock at which point the excitement kicked in and he used his best endeavours to tie Kev in a knot with high speed spins and leaps both before & after Sean had been legged up!

However once racing he was a model pro; travelling handily and jumping well despite being hampered badly at the 9th. Sean sent the 10 year old on from three out and he looked to be cruising when others behind were starting to get to work. Unfortunately though, as he’s done in the past, he flattened out between the last two hurdles allowing two to come past, but then ran on again and was closing strongly when beaten 3 & 3/4 lengths in third place at the line.

That was by far his best performance for us and hopefully now he knows he can breathe when under pressure, he will have the confidence to keep going next time.

Dear Dora was next up in the 2m, Mares Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race. The four year old was partnered on her racecourse debut by John Kington who answered the call when Henry was injured and, forsaking the just applied sun tan lotion, had driven straight down to Southwell from Middleham to take the ride.

He had Dora nicely settled and held up at the rear, gradually putting her into the race as the field progressed down the back straight. The pair were in a breakaway group of three as the pace lifted in the home straight. Dora’s inexperience just started to show against the other two who had both run before and despite looking a bit unbalanced in the closing stages, she passed the line in third only beaten 3 lengths with the rest of the field fairly strung out behind.

Everyone was delighted with the performance especially as Dora had never galloped on grass before, the prolonged hot spell restricting her home work to the all-weather gallops. Being by Dark Angel, a sire more noted for producing sprinters, she has been trained for stamina at this early stage of her career and not yet been taught to quicken – definitely one to watch for future!

Post debut @ Southwell 15-07-18

Dear Dora post-race

18/07/18

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