Smiling Eliza well beaten at Ballinrobe

March 19, 2021

Cheltenham 2021 - Review

The week belongs to Henry De Bromhead, Rachael Blackmore and Jack Kennedy. Minella Indo won the Gold Cup having lost the RSA on the line this time last year. Everyone loves a comeback story and this is one because following that defeat there was a fall at Leopardstown at Christmas and a very ordinary run in February. I thought he was very overrated and even though he fit the age range (the last 3 winners of the race were 7 or 8 years old), I over looked him for Al Boum Photo. Funnily enough it had the feel of when Al Boum Photo won in 2019 because there wasn't a lot of talk about him. I still expected him to be beaten even when he flew the last but A Plus Tard couldn't run him down. He proved me and the doubters wrong today by adding the top prize in National Hunt racing to that narrow second last year and the Albert Bartlett two years ago. What a Cheltenham record! Fantastic for Jack Kennedy as well. He's had some week too - Black Tears beating the hot favourite Concertis

Smiling Eliza was going for the big money at Ballinrobe on Monday in the John Monroe Memorial Mares Handicap Hurdle over 2 miles. The going had been good but there were some heavy showers during the day which changed it to good to yielding which may have been a bit tackier than Eliza would have liked.

Low in the weights anyway, she had another 7lb taken off by Conditional Jockey, Paddy Vaughan, who had her handy early on. The other Elliott runner and favourite, Arctic Sofia, was an early faller at the back of the field. Eliza was jumping well but it did look like she was struggling with the pace. She continued to hold third position until they hit the back straight where she started to go backwards but still by no means out of it. There were nine horses together going over the second last but as they rounded the final bend a furlong later, there were five left going for €18,000 winners purse. Eliza had tailed off by now and the race was won by Ejayteekay for Paul Townend and Gavin Cromwell.

The yard had no explanation for why Eliza ran so poorly. It was a competitive enough race but she was back over her preferred 2 mile trip on good summer ground. It was maybe just on the wrong side of firm for her though following the heavy rain during the day.