IT was a similar scenario too at Gowran Park on Thursday: the feature race, won by a British challenger, ridden by Declan McDonogh. Four White Socks wasn’t in the original line-up for the Group 3 Denny Cordell Lavarack and Lanwades Stud Stakes, scheduled for last Saturday, before the thunder and the lightning arrived. She was supposed to run instead in the Listed Doonside Cup at Ayr last Thursday, but she was taken out because of the ground. Ayr’s loss, Gowran’s gain.

She appeared to appreciate the soft ground all right on Thursday. And, just as he did with Sir Boris at Fairyhouse on Monday, Declan McDonogh took his horse wide into the home straight and sought out the stands rail. He got there too on the run to the furlong marker, at just about the same time as he got to the front. His filly picked up well and ran on strongly all the way to the line to win by over three lengths, eased down.

It was the Lope De Vega filly’s first run for Joe Tuite, and it was just her second win. She won a 10-furlong novice stakes on fast ground at Goodwood last summer for Luca Cumani and she raced twice on the flat for Harry Fry this season – her first run in the Munster Oaks at Cork in June – before joining Tuite.

Like Sir Boris, she was allowed go off at 14/1, which was not unreasonable, given that she had plenty to find on ratings with the top-rated fillies in the race. She is still a lightly-raced filly, and she is another who will be of interest again on soft ground.