Thrice

(Aidan O’Brien)

Curragh, August 24th

Nothing came home more strongly than Thrice in the opening seven-furlong juvenile maiden at the Curragh last Saturday, and he rates a likely maiden winner next time out for Aidan O’Brien. The Ballydoyle team won the race with 7/4 favourite Officer, with Thrice easier to back at 8/1 under Wayne Lordan. It wasn’t overly encouraging to see connections feel the need to fit blinkers on this Wootton Bassett colt for his debut but he did finish out well here while shaping with greenness, only beaten three-quarters of a length. There’s encouragement on the dam’s side of his pedigree that he should stay a mile without any issue.

Estate Planning

(Jessica Harrington)

Curragh, August 24th

Estate Planning wasn’t the first string on jockey bookings of Jessica Harrington’s three runners in the 10-furlong maiden but he fared by far the best of those representatives in fifth and looks to have a future. He’s bred to be useful as a brother to the stable’s Irish Champions Festival premier handicap winner Ever Present (Timeform rating of 113) and looks as though he’ll have little trouble stepping up in trip too. As per Coursetrack’s sectional times, his final three furlongs were collectively faster than anything else in this 22-runner event, beaten seven lengths in fifth behind much-improved Ballydoyle winner Fighter. Sent off at 28/1 on this occasion, it will be fascinating to see if he improves as he shaped he might.

Daboya

(Dermot Weld)

Naas, August 25th

As the afternoon went on at Naas last Sunday, it became apparent that the optimum place to challenge in the straight was close to the stand’s side rail. With that in mind, the efforts of some who made their bid further towards the far side rail or the centre can likely be marked up, and Daboya falls into that category. Making her handicap debut for Dermot Weld and the Aga Khan, the unexposed three-year-old showed up well to be fourth in the first-time cheekpieces given she was a little away from where the main action unfolded near side. Down 1lb to a mark of 75 after this run, she looks up to winning a similar event before the season is out, with this experience surely not going to be lost on her.

Silkies Sib

(Tim Doyle)

Naas, August 25th

Silkies Sib, fourth in the second division of the same extended-10-furlong apprentice handicap at Naas, is another whose run can be viewed more positively than a bare three-length defeat to Complete Fiction suggests. A winner at Leopardstown three starts earlier off 62, his next two starts came off 69 but he could be set to strike again now off a revised mark of 65. Ridden by promising new recruit to the weighing room, Sam Coen, who was having just his second ride under rules here, Tim Doyle’s four-year-old kept on well enough towards the centre of the straight and saw out the trip fine. He handles an ease in the ground and could land a handicap this autumn when getting a better bounce of the ball.