Lothlorien Maintaining Family Success

Pedigrees don’t guarantee success but the one consistent in breeding is the Dam. Handbell has already produce two black type fillies and she may have just added another promising daughter. Lothlorien overcame inexperience to make a winning debut in the 5f EBF Fillies Novice Stakes at Beverley.

Dandy Man is one of the go to stallions for speed and Lothlorien looked to be a real sprinter from day one. Powerfully built, for a filly, she had shown plenty of promise in her home work but was a little raw in the early stages of the season. Time allowed her to strengthen and fill her frame to the point where she said she was ready for the track.

Beverley is a lovely track to introduce 2yo’s. The uphill finish means you don’t have to rush them into the race as they can finish and therefore have time to find their feet. This proved to be key for Lothlorien as she made her debut against 9 rivals, with Tom Eaves in the saddle.

Slowly away, Tom tried to let his filly find her stride but Lothlorien got a small bump and daylight which just lit her up. Racing quite keen through the first furlong she landed towards the front of the field with the odds on favourite coming around the outer to make a line of three at the front. With Tom not wanting to really force the issue, the favourite edged right, taking the position of Lothlorien.

Swinging around the bend and into the home straight, the leading duo looked to press home their advantage. The favourite pressured the leader but was travelling smoothly, similarly so was Lothlorien. In the favs slipstream Tom waited and looked to kick at the same time. Passing the 2f pole the leader remained the same but it were the fillies to the outer who looked to be stalking dangerously.

Lothlorien showed her first signs of greeness when Tom began to ask her to go through with her run. Whilst the favourite began to move forward an take the lead, Lothlorien took her time to get gathered and find her feet. It wasn’t until the rising ground that the penny began to drop. With the favourite kicking on, Lothlorien had some ground to make up but as the track stiffened, she began to eat into the deficit. Pulling up alongside the new leader, the front two came away from the rest as they battled for the lead. The final 100 yards were close, barely a nostril separating the pair. It was a head bobbing finish as the two flashed past the line, requiring the judge to decide the winner.

It was a fine effort from Lothlorien on debut, not only to overcome inexperience but to do so against a rival who had decent form previous. She almost did everything wrong through the early stages but with Tom’s help she settled. Once she hit the rising ground, Lothlorien thrived and this suggests that 6f should be no problem in the future. It will be interesting to see where the filly lines up next but on this evidence she is a 2yo with a lot of potential.

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