Royal Kahala

29th-Dec-2021

There is no knowing how good Shewearsitwell can be, she was very impressive in her two hurdle races in the autumn of 2020, but we haven’t seen her since October 2020, and she has been put in short.

I am backing Royal Kahala against her. Peter Fahey’s mare was a really progressive mare last season, she won her bumper and she won two hurdle races at Fairyhouse, before going down to Roseys Hollow in the Solerina Hurdle, also at Fairyhouse.

That was still a very good run, Roseys Hollow is a talented mare, she got a nice run around the inside around the home turn as Royal Kahala went wide, and Royal Kahala was conceding 4lb.

Royal Kahala was sent off as favourite for the mares’ novices’ hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on the back of that run, but it never really happened for her at Cheltenham, and she came home lame, so you can allow her that.

She ran a big race on her debut this season in finishing second to Dysart Diamond in a listed mares’ hurdle at Punchestown.  Held up that day, as she usually is, she made a significant mistake at the third last flight just as the pace was increasing.  Last over the second last, she had to make her ground from there around the home turn and into a quickening pace, and she did well to keep on as well as she did to get to within a half a length of the winner, to whom she was conceding race fitness.

She should come on for that run, her first run since March.  Also, the ground should be softer today than it was at Punchestown, which is a positive, and the step up to two and a half miles should be in her favour.

Heaven Help Us was on my shortlist, as was Telmesomethinggirl, but I am happy to rely solely on Royal Kahala.

ROYAL KAHALA WON (ADV 7/2, SP 11/4)