Leaf stretches away in Gowran Park© Photo Healy Racing
Group 1-entered Leaf hacked up in Gowran Park’s concluding maiden over the extended mile and one trip.
This was her second racecourse appearance having run fifth in a mile and a quarter Navan maiden won by Carla Bianca, who subsequently won the Listed Naas Oaks Trial last Wednesday.
She readily moved into the lead with a quarter of a mile to go in this contest and pulled away for a comprehensive three and three quarter length success. She was easy enough to back from 11/10 out to 11/8 yet still retained the favourite tag. Got To Dream at 10/1 held on to second by a head from Mozetta (4/1) who stayed on late.
Successful jockey Wayne Lordan said: “She learnt a lot from her first run. Better ground suited her and she got the trip really well and she will get further. She is a nice tall filly that will probably improve with time and it was nice to get her started.”
This gave Lordan a Gowran Park double as he won on Eighteen Summers in race five.
Leaf holds an entry in the Irish Oaks.
Additional reporting by Donal Murphy
