Gowran August 15th
We have one runner tomorrow in Gowran. She’s a first 2 year old runner for us this year. It’s not her first run however and all the hard work has been done with her. She came from Johnny Murtagh and the whole thing was very amicable. He was complimentary about the filly and the lads that owned her. I think there’s an assumption of a fall out in these instances, not here. Anyway, seems harsh but I’m delighted to have her! She’s a big girl, well, bigger than the other 2 year olds we have. We only have her 11 days and I’m on the fence. Our normal modus operandi is to train a horse in a set routine until they reach a level. Then we take them away to work, it’s proper work and the lads that ride come back and say “yeah, run” or “nope”. It gives us an idea of fitness and ability level and you have (or should have) an idea of what to expect based on that work and how they take it. In this instance Dandy Belle came race fit and there’s no point in working her when she can run. We’re in the dark therefore but I think she’s more than capable off her mark. She may take a bit of time to catch up with her size and that final furlong over any trip off any mark may be a challenge for the time being. We’ll know more about her after tomorrow but there’s fun to be had with her if we mind her.

2017 Richard O'Brien Racing Limited