Barry Geraghty© Photo Healy Racing
Apple's Shakira created a huge impression on her British debut when winning the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham.
A sister to the multiple Grade One-winning mare Apple's Jade, the JP McManus-owned filly looks right out of the top drawer.
Philip Hobbs' Gumball had won his two previous races but he had no answer to Nicky Henderson's three-year-old, who is now favourite for the Triumph Hurdle at the Festival in March after winning by 17 lengths as the even-money favourite under Barry Geraghty.
Geraghty said: "You could only be impressed, she was very good. She was learning as she went and the way she went to the line she could have gone a bit further.
"She has a great attitude and you could only love her. She's very talented."
Henderson said: "Barry has adored her from the first moment. She is funny though, as she shows nothing at home. But she does jump.
"Barry schooled her once and said 'this is the fastest thing I've sat on as a three-year-old'.
"She's not big but has a lovely temperament and that was only the second race of her life. She has lots to learn, is still green but jumps like a big horse.
"That ground is soft, which she enjoyed, as she'd not want it too fast. I suppose the Triumph Hurdle is where she'll finish off, but she won't be hiding in her stable.
"I really didn't know what was going to happen today, I was hoping something like that as I had it in my mind it must be there some way.
"I did enquire how Apple's Jade worked at home and I was quite pleased to hear she doesn't show much, either."
Hobbs said of Gumball: "Our horse probably ran into a very good one there.
"We did look to be going better at one stage, but by the time they got to the second-last Barry was going far better. We won't blame the ground."
