AL QAHWA attempts to confirm the striking impression he made at Leopardstown when he goes to post for the opening juvenile race on the August Bank Holiday card at Naas on Monday.
There was a good word for Mick Halford’s Godolphin-owned colt prior to his Leopardstown debut, only for him to finish third, but he made no mistake at the second attempt, scoring by almost four lengths here in June. He has to concede weight to all but one of his rivals in the opening Birdcatcher Day Race including Mimicking and Blood Moon, who made the frame behind the ill-fated State Of Emergency at the Curragh back in May. Jim Bolger’s Mimicking reads the biggest threat to Al Qahwa.
Halford should also have high hopes for Five Claw in the Kildare Post Rated Race. The son of Jeremy hasn’t been seen since chasing home Charlie Bear at Dundalk in February but seems well enough suited by these race conditions. His stable companion Ebayya offered plenty of encouragement when fourth behind three fillies who are now rated 92 or higher on her Leopardstown debut last October and although not seen in competitive action since, she must go close in the mile fillies’ maiden if fully wound up.
But this is a wide open contest with at least a half-dozen with chances including Georgia On My Mind, Primal Snow and maybe Eagle Valley.
Herald The Dawn made a very promising beginning to his career at this venue and tries to go one better in the seven-furlong two year-old maiden.
Jim Bolger’s full-brother to Dawn Approach showed plenty of the family talent and can take this en route to better things. Badly drawn that day he will almost certainly improve on that effort and this mightn’t be too testing an assignment for him on the back of that experience.
Both handicaps on the card are weak affairs and Catwillldo and Gary Phillips might get through the five-furlong apprentice handicap ahead of Uucanchoose and Stinky Socks.
In the seven-furlong handicap for three-year-olds only, there are any number of prospective improvers amongst the 16 runners.
Beechmount Whisper and Pretty Famous are a pair of contenders that have shown form of a degree.
Zylan had the disappointing Curlylocks behind him when second at Fairyhouse last month, but the latter was returning from a long absence and finished ahead of Oaks heroine Qualify last term so could improve past her rival in the six-furlong maiden where Chestnut Fire and Shark Island together with Mulkeyya are ones to note.
