Day 2 of the Ebor Festival, and we start with a race we got wrong and a ride we liked even less. Our day 2 preview is there if you want to see what we said beforehand.
1:50 Lowther Stakes: Libertango was the best horse, and Wild Blossom got a bad ride
Libertango won it at 3/1 from Star Of State at 9/4, with Jolivette 3rd at 25/1. Wild Blossom, our selection and our Top Rated, was 6th at 4/1.
Take nothing away from the winner. Libertango was probably the best horse in the race and she got a very good ride from Billy Loughnane, who kept it simple. He sat in behind a couple, moved into the gaps as they came, and had a bit in hand. She is clearly a very good juvenile filly and she is above average: every one of her 4 starts has come over 6f, and she plainly loves the trip.
She did drift over towards the far side, which we still do not believe is where you want to be at this track. Just off the rail is the place. She was good enough that it did not matter.
Star Of State ran a fine race in 2nd, and it is worth saying that this was only her 3rd ever start. She will improve again for it.
Which brings us to Wild Blossom, and we are going to be blunt: we thought James Doyle gave her a terrible ride.
Watch Loughnane on the winner and then watch Doyle on ours. Loughnane sits quiet, sees a gap, pushes his filly through it. Doyle sees a gap and appears to panic. He goes left, then right, then left again, trying to get out of a pocket he had put himself in. The simple answer was to sit behind Libertango and let her tow him into the race, and then see what he had left.
We would extend that to a wider point about the riding we have watched this week from him and from William Buick. Our honest opinion is that neither has ridden these horses well, and but for how good the Qatar Goodwood Festival was for them, there would be far more scrutiny on both than there is.
None of which is Wild Blossom's fault. We still rate her, we still think she is better than she was able to show here, and she will win a decent race in her career. She just needs a clear passage to do it.