Sliabh Aughty – 2/28/21 – R8 Fair Grounds – 1 mile & 1/16 – Turf – 50k Maiden Special Weight
ex-Ger Lyons gelding by Elusive Quality. The immediate standout here is the US breeding on the distaff side, and it’s no surprise that this horse has shown his best form on an artificial surface. He has handled turf reasonably well in the past, finishing 5/15 in a Leopardstown maiden, but has run to a pretty low level in every start on the grass. His three starts on Polytrack have all been good, finishing second twice over 7f, including on his most recent start. He has been tried over 9.5f but looks more of a speed horse to me and might do better over 6f having been run out of it late on over seven. He is a maiden after six starts and hasn’t done anything exciting on the clock in his career to date but should be very competitive at this level.
Jibber Jabber – 2/28/21 – R3 Santa Anita- 1 mile – Turf – 61k Maiden Special Weight
ex-Stan Moore filly by Epaulette. Lightly-raced filly who is a maiden after three starts but has run to a fair level the last twice. Was sent off a big price on debut at Goodwood over 7f and shaped perfectly well amidst greenness, showing some speed until weakening inside the final two furlongs for a yard that is not well known for debut juvenile winners. Subsequently ran to a better level twice in France dropped back to 6f. She was touched off by a subsequent Group 3 winner on the first of those occasions but ran really well, still in the lead with a furlong to run before being worn down by a stronger stayer. It was a similar story next time, but Jibber Jabber again ran a fine race. She looks to have the ability and the attitude to win races and some of her form is good. The worry would be the distance, as she is clearly not short of pace, but there is some hope in her breeding that she can route. She looks to fit well at this level and was rated quite a bit higher than Cider Apple in Europe -13lbs on official ratings – who she faces here.
