Sound Of Lightning

(Donnacha O’Brien)

Curragh, March 29th

It seemed to be tough to make any sort of impact from off the pace at the Curragh last Saturday, so the debut effort of Sound Of Lightning can certainly be marked up. A Niarchos family home-bred for Donnacha O’Brien, this Fastnet Rock three-year-old has a useful pedigree, being out of an unraced Galileo sibling to four blacktype performers, including Group 1-placed/multiple group winner Yucatan. Her dam is also out of Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Six Perfections. She gave her rivals a clear headstart when breaking slowly out of the gates and could never really get into a position to challenge more experienced rivals. The manner in which she saw out this 10-furlong trip was most positive, though. She was nearly three and a half lengths faster than anything else in the field from three furlongs out to the line, though was still beaten two and three-quarters of a length in third. With this experience behind her, and a more favourable set up, she should have little trouble winning a maiden.

Made U Blush

(Willie McCreery)

Leopardstown, March 30th

There was a fair deal of chat about Dermot Weld’s newcomer Tarima in the three-year-old fillies’ maiden at Leopardstown last Sunday, and the beautifully-bred Aga Khan home-bred didn’t disappoint. She came home with a quality finish and looks potentially top-class. In third, however, it was a perfectly pleasing return from 170 days off for the Willie McCreery-trained Made U Blush. She did little wrong in defeat from the front, just lacking the same change of gears as the winner, but the Masar filly looks capable of winning a maiden this season - the yard often strikes with fillies of this profile. By Masar and out of a dual listed winner over a mile and a quarter and a mile and three furlongs, she might prove even better at 10 furlongs as a three-year-old.

Light As Air

(Aidan O’Brien)

Leopardstown, March 30th

The biggest eye-catcher of the weekend came in the 10-furlong three-year-old handicap won by Aidan O’Brien’s Serious Contender. It was actually the winner’s stablemate, Light As Air, who created the best impression in defeat; flying home after having a troubled trip in the straight. Despite those traffic problems, never getting into the clear until it was all said and done, the Wootton Bassett colt was faster than any other horse in the field from three furlongs out to the line under Jack Cleary. Making only his third start after being placed in a couple of maidens last October, he remains open to improvement and still looks very nicely handicapped off 85, despite being nudged up 6lb for this half-length second (winner given 7lb rise to 92). He’s also bred to be much better than this type of rating territory, being a half-brother to St Leger winner Continuous.

Zipster

(Ger O’Leary)

Leopardstown, March 30th

Another fast-finisher on the same Leopardstown card was Ger O’Leary’s new recruit Zipster, who ran better than his fifth at 16/1 might read on paper. He looks ready to win a similar handicap soon off an unchanged mark of 74. This mile handicap never went right for the 50,000gns purchase out of last October’s Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale. He was slowly into stride, by far the slowest in the field to reach 20mph, according to RaceiQ data, and then had to be shaken up to get into gear. After taking a hold of the bridle, he then found himself right down the inner from stall four and had to suffer for a spell. It looked a very tough task for him to make inroads in the straight, and Keithen Kennedy barely had the chance to use his whip on the Zoustar four-year-old, but he came home in an eye-catching fashion. Nothing hit the line better than the two-time mile winner from two furlongs out to the line, as per Coursetrack sectionals. With average luck, he’s good enough to win a handicap with a reproduction of this type of effort, which saw him beaten only two lengths.