THE Leopardstown meeting on Sunday was another card run on a sound surface and it was surprising to see most races run at a steady gallop before a fast finish; in general, this was a card that favoured those ridden close to the pace.

The one exception was the Amethyst Stakes where the leaders went hard, the first three coming from off the pace. The gallop was strong enough that Excellent Believe, who often races prominently, couldn’t go with them from early on before keeping on late in third.

The strong pace suited the winner Catalina Delcarpio who had been racing over further, and she won this with a bit in hand, Paddy Twomey saying afterwards that her first start in the Park Express had been needed.

That was unusual for the high strike-rate yard but does seem to have been the case this year with a few of his runners needing an outing, but they are in hot form now, just out of a streak of nine winners from 10 runners at the time of the writing.

Shaped well

Tokenomics was no match for the winner in second but shaped well in his own right, travelling best of all and pressing into the pace sooner than ideal, leaving the strong impression that seven furlongs is his best trip.

That comment also applies to another Twomey winner, City Of Memphis, who landed the Mutamakina Stakes in what was little more than a two-furlong sprint.

She is now three from four, her only defeat coming in the Irish 1000 Guineas when fresh out of maiden company, but it was a little surprising to see her trainer mention the Lanwades Stud Stakes for her as that trip may stretch her.

The runner-up, Signora, looks a more natural miler and may even get further. She was drawn nine here and Wayne Lordan was unable to get her into a prominent position, dropping back near the rear of the field before being wide into the straight.

She was out of the main action of the race at that point but finished off well into second, looking a long-striding type that would be well-suited to a track like the Curragh though she is not entered in the Irish 1000 Guineas.

Derby Trial

The Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial saw an improved effort from Pierre Bonnard though he had every chance to win in a race set up for him. Perhaps headgear will be considered for this next start.

The winner James J Braddock looked value for more than the margin of victory, doing well to come from off a steady pace to win with a decent turn of foot.

He improved a lot for his first run last season, and it was the same this time around so there should be more to come.

Several beaten horses in the shoulder races caught the eye closing from off steady gallops, among them Valentino Eclipse, Caislean Ni Cuan, Count Bezukhov and Eniac but the one that did best of all was a winner, Truth Be Told.

He landed the 10-furlong handicap for older horses, coming from a slightly detached last and picking his way through the field to cut down one that had travelled powerfully to the lead before winning with a bit in hand.

Well-handicapped

Truth Be Told looks a well-handicapped sort, allowing that he may need similar tactics to show his best as he was ridden in the same way to win at Thurles last backend.

There is potential in his profile, having been the Rosewell House representative in the ‘Dermot Weld Maiden’ at Galway in 2024, and looks well bought by Michael Grassick for 35,000 guineas.

NAAS is a track that often favours the near side, but with drying ground last Saturday and the going changed to good to firm in places after the fifth race, the bias flipped towards the inside where there was a hot rail.

This is best seen through the results, by draw, of three bigger field sprint handicaps on the card. 16 ran in the first of those over five furlongs with the first four home drawn 3, 4, 8 and 1.

There were then two six-furlong races, the first with 13 runners where stall 1 won and was followed home by 5, 3 and 2, the second was won by stall 4, with stalls 9, 8 and 3 filling the frame.

That sort of bias means looking for horses that ran well in defeat toward the centre of the track or even the near side, and the most obvious of those was Sun Goddess in the opening juvenile maiden over five furlongs, and she had other positives too.

The Ballydoyle filly dwelt, raced in rear and was green, finding herself near last at halfway but making up a huge amount of ground in the final two furlongs up the centre of the track under a hand ride, closing all the way to the line on two that raced up the far rail.

Times back up the visual impression. This race was faster than the handicap for older horses that followed while she completed the final furlong in 11.64 seconds per Course Track, only one other horse dipping under 12 seconds for that part for the rest of the card, Perisher in the closing race which was run at a sedate pace.

Shaped well

A few beaten horses shaped well against the bias in the sprint handicaps. I Bid You Ajou travelled best in the six-furlong handicap for older horses from stall 8, only to be caught on the line by a strong finisher up the inside, and his speed might be more effective around a turning track, all three of his previous wins having come at Fairyhouse.

This was the second time in two starts he has run well against a bias, down the rail at Leopardstown at one of their early season meetings too.

Pinar Del Rio (stall 7) also did well to finish fifth up the centre of the track. This ground was on the fast side for him, and he might also prefer seven furlongs while his mark has dropped to a point that underrates his ability.

Promise

Chicago Pope made most up the far rail in the valuable three-year-old six-furlong handicap, with the fifth Midnight Dusk shaping with promise from stall 12.

He finished behind the winner in his previous race at Cork and should have got even closer here, travelling well but poorly positioned up the middle of the track with nothing to bring him into the race, running on well despite that.

The hot rail persisted in the three races on the round track towards the end of the yard too. Moonlit Sky showing plenty on debut for Jessica Harrington to finish third in the mile maiden for fillies.

She was green, on and off the bridle at points in the race, before being outpaced in the rear of mid-division turning in and finding well for pressure to finish strongly up the middle of the track.

The Naas Oaks Trial looked weak for a listed race, the first two home rated 92 and 90 respectively, but even so La Fogata shaped well in second.

Her rider reported that she got unbalanced at the first bend and then raced in rear, but she travelled best and made up a lot of late ground up the middle of the track to press the winner to the line.

The early gallop was steady here, so both pace and position were against her, and she was also having her first start of the season for a new yard, so there should be improvement to come.