THE last week or so of Irish racing has been more about volume than quality so it might be worth having a look back at the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing barrier trials from the previous Monday, run at Naas for a change.

These trials have been around for a while and last year’s fell a bit flat but getting them back on turf for the first time since 2019 seemed to give them a lift.

They have never really fulfilled their intended purpose as a marketplace for horses to be sold on, allowing that Middleham Park Racing have bought one of this year’s winners subsequently, but they still have their uses, both for trainers and punters.

Speaking to people more informed than me, trainers use these events for different reasons, depending on the horse. For those some way off a run, it will be a normal away work day. For those getting close to the racetrack proper, the intent could be to get them from a point where they are fit to a point where they can win.

This sharpness is brought about by the whole race day experience the trial provides, not just the trial itself but the journey there, the parade ring and entering the stalls.

For punters, the trials are not the sort of betting nirvana that they might have been in their early days, the replays available online and the results in some form databases, but there are certainly bits and pieces that can be of use.

Unusual results

As to last week’s trials, there were some unusual results, not least that Joseph O’Brien only won one trial, having taken five of the 10 the previous year when this set was run at Dundalk.

Top honours went to Gavin Cromwell who won three of the 10 trials from five runners, another finishing second, all of them two-year-olds. That is fair going from a man who has only ever trained 12 juvenile winners on the track!

To my eye, the winner of batch four, Clarita (a filly by Calyx) was his most impressive, coming from a bit further back than the one she beat and doing so in a fast closing split per my rough hand sectionals.

John Feane won both of the three-year-old trials which was notable given he has not had a winner so far in 2023, and has had very few runners on turf, albeit the few that have run have been running well. The winner of the final trial, Me Time, likely did well to win over seven furlongs as he is by Cracksman.

Michael O’Callaghan had three runners on the day, one winning and another second, and interestingly both of those were coming from breeze-ups so should be plenty sharp when hitting the track. Both ran at the Curragh on Wednesday. where School Of Law was second.

They were racing on the round track at Naas throughout rather than the straight and it is often hard to come from off the pace there at the best of times, much more so when the ground is decent and the pace is slow, as it invariably is in such races.

Again using hand-timed sectionals, the finishing speeds of the trials were typically at least 110%, meaning that the runners were quickening up late so it might be worth giving credit to a few that came from behind.

Marvellous Lady (fourth in batch two) is an Advertise filly trained by Ed Delany and she did best of those held up despite being slowly away, finishing off well.

The booking of a senior rider in Declan McDonogh suggests something is thought of her.

Dollerina, a filly in the colours of Brian Gleeson and trained by Joseph O’Brien, was fourth in batch three but shaped clear second best if not best outright. Having travelled nicely in rear, she was tenderly ridden but kept on well.

Experience

The bulk of the Jessica Harrington runners seemed at the trials for experience and With Style, fourth to Clarita in batch four, showed plenty to finish well after missing the break and was one of four to pull clear of the rest. She has an entry in the Airlie Stud Stakes over Irish Derby weekend.

This was a good effort considering he was a Highland Reel colt running over six furlongs

Batch five produced the best overall time of the six trials over six furlongs, albeit perhaps not as fast as the official time, and the third home, Marnie, trained by Joseph O’Brien, caught the eye a little.

Dropped out, he had to wait for a run early in the straight before being switched and after initially taking time to pick up, finished well and had a bit more to give. This was a good effort considering he was a Highland Reel colt running over six furlongs.

Redondo was better than his fifth of seven in batch six. Trained by Josh Halley and sired by Territories, he had to wait a while for a run in the straight before moving to the middle of the track and running on under tender handling.

Barrier Trial results can be viewed at: www.itm.ie/Buying/Barrier-Trials

Take Time to overcome a draw bias

TIPPERARY’s flat card the Wednesday before last was a notable draw bias meeting and is worth relooking at.

Run on going officially given as good, good to firm in places, the track had been watering beforehand and that may have played a part in producing results on the sprint track that were more akin with slow ground as those racing up the near side dominated.

There were four races run over the five-furlong track on the evening, three of which drew reasonable sized fields of nine or more runners. The first of those, a conditions race for juveniles, had nine runners and stalls 9 and 7 pulled four lengths clear of the rest.

In the following 15-runner handicap, stall 15 won readily from stalls 4, 3 and 14 while in the final handicap with 10 runners, the first four home were drawn 8, 9, 7 and 10.

Dun Na Sead ran a good race from a low draw at Tipperary \ carolinenorris.ie

Stand out

The placed horses that stand out were the second and third in the big field handicap, Hallowed Time running second from stall 4 and Dun Na Sead coming third from stall 3.

Hallowed Time ran a particularly good race, slowly away and getting a reminder early, before finding plenty up the centre of the track.

Having been an exposed ex-French handicapper, he probably wasn’t the easiest to handicap for returning trainer Eoghan O’Neill, but he has a race in him on this run. Dun Na Sead looks in need of the easiest five furlongs he can get, so Down Royal or Bellewstown if not some of the English tracks.

In the final sprint, Spirit Of Eagles showed a bit in fifth for Michael Grassick. She was never far off the pace but was caught out on the wing up the centre of the track. Having her first run in a tongue-tie after a six-week absence, she was getting a decent surface for the first time since debut which seemed to suit.