PLEASCACH ran a cracker in the Prix de l’Opera.

She almost got there under a top ride from Kevin Manning. If the bob of her and Speedy Boarding’s heads had gone the other way, she would have won it.

It was a superb training performance by Jim Bolger, to get the Godolphin filly back to that type of form, a year and three weeks after she had last run, since she had finished fourth behind Golden Horn in the 2015 Irish Champion Stakes.

It is great that she got back to the racetrack this season.

Difficult to believe that it is 12 years since Bolger won the Prix de l’Opera with Alexander Goldrun.

Two months later, Alexander Goldrun went to Hong Kong and won the Hong Kong Cup.

It would be interesting if Pleascach trod a similar path.

Highlighted in 5 Things We Learned PREVIOUSLY

October 1st 2016

...So if your horse is drawn high in the Arc tomorrow, do not despair. Indeed, the high-drawn horses may be over-priced at worst, and advantaged at best.

October 10th 2015

“Horses to take out of the Arc? Horses who ran better than the bare form of their runs suggest? Found and Silverwave are top of the list.

Both horses were further back in the field than ideal, given that the early pace was unexpectedly sedate, and both horses made eye-catching ground in the home straight, into a quickening pace, the former despite being hampered twice.

Found remains potentially top class, she remains potentially better than she has been able to show so far this season, and there was no evidence from Sunday’s run to suggest that a mile and a half would not be her thing.”