Imaginary Money

(Henry de Bromhead)

Dundalk, August 15th

The mile maiden for two-year-olds at Dundalk last week has featured some smart sorts in recent years, including the Group 1-placed Adelaide River, Dee Stakes winner Capulet, Group 2-placed Bernard Shaw and last weekend’s shock Royal Whip Stakes runner-up Tangapour. The 2025 winner, Pierre Bonnard, was described by connections as a “lovely middle-distance horse for next year” and a possible Goffs Million candidate more immediately, while the third had just been touched off at the Galway Festival in a maiden, so the form doesn’t look too bad. Further back in fourth, however, catching the eye with an under-the-radar type of effort at 100/1 was newcomer Imaginary Money. Henry de Bromhead’s debutant is out of a winning mare whose best form came at a mile and six furlongs (final start at two miles) and this colt looks one whose future lies at longer trips too - albeit he shaped as though he’d sharpen up for this experience. He looked raw enough early on, but definitely built into the race and did well to finish fourth, for all that he was 11 lengths off the winner. Only Pierre Bonnard was quicker than him through the final two furlongs, as per Coursetrack’s sectional figures. He’s a son of Make Believe, a sire whose progeny often show their best on slower turf surfaces than this all-weather. With that in mind, he could have nice improvement to come into the autumn and looks one to progress gradually with experience.

Treasured Royal

(Gavin Cromwell)

Curragh, August 16th

Gavin Cromwell and Kevin Ross might have stumbled on a bargain at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale, having paid just €4,000 for Treasured Royal, who ran with a deal of promise when fifth in a 19-runner Curragh maiden over six furlongs last Saturday. There were two areas in particular that stood out with a view to why the Nando Parrado newcomer’s run could be upgraded: the draw and her keenness. The first four home here were drawn 12, 16, 20 and 15 - all racing towards the near side - whereas Treasured Royal ended up posted wide on the far side from stall two. As the camera panned to a side-on angle with less than three furlongs to run, you could spot Gary Carroll’s mount in 17th of 19 runners, and the rider had been doing his best to settle her after taking a strong grip early (fourth-fastest out of the stalls to reach 20mph). Once he allowed Treasured Royal to improve, however, she really did quicken. The 11.07 seconds he clocked from three furlongs out to the two-furlong marker was faster than any horse in the field produced (her top speed of 41.17mph also better than any runner in this race or the following six-furlong nursery). She sustained that burst with the second quickest sectional in the second last furlong, but she paid the price for his keenness late on and faded to fifth. For all that she was beaten four and a half lengths - and it’s tough to say this was a vintage Curragh maiden on paper - there was enough promise in this to suggest she’ll win one of these; either when racing more economically at this trip or when dropping to five furlongs. The fact she was sent off 100/30 favourite (from a morning price of 11/2) suggests she must have been doing something right at home too.

Nod Of Approval

(Jessica Harrington)

Roscommon, August 19th

It will be interesting to note what mark Nod Of Approval is assigned by the handicapper as he might be one that fully comes to himself in a nursery later in the campaign, obviously depending on what rating he’s given. The Irish Field’s Tony Keenan outlined in his column last week that the Jessica Harrington team haven’t been on fire in the two-year-old division like might be the case in other years. In fact, she was 0-51 with her juveniles this season at the time his column was filed, and she got off the mark in the division with Echo Of Faith at Roscommon on Tuesday evening. In the same maiden, Nod Of Approval was having his third run, following a positive sixth on debut at the Curragh and finishing down the field at the Galway Festival, and did some decent late work to finish fifth here. The RaceiQ metrics had a few positives to take from the run too. He had the longest maximum stride of anything in this race at 8.02 metres and the second longest average stride (0.01 metres off being top). On the whole, only one horse on the entire card (Ransom) had a longer maximum stride than this half-brother to this year’s Fred Winter winner from Cheltenham, Puturhandstogether, and Irish Cambridgeshire runner-up, Good Heavens. Nod Of Approval had the second highest top speed here and was second only to the winner in terms of clocking the fastest final-furlong sectional. After taking time to build into the race and getting behind the main protagonists, he hit the line well and could take confidence from an experience like this, for all that it’s hard to say how deep a maiden this was. He hails from a family with the potential to improve even more with time.