18 July 2021

Mehnah camp mull big-race targets

18 July 2021

Connections of Mehnah are to mull over the options after the impeccably-bred filly returned from a setback to win the Cairn Rouge Stakes at Killarney.

The half-sister to 2016 Irish 2,000 Guineas victor Awtaad missed Group One engagements in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes after pulling a muscle – but he made up for lost time with a stylish performance in Wednesday’s Listed contest over a mile.

It was only the daughter of Frankel’s third race, and her trainer Kevin Prendergast believes she will improve again, especially over a longer distance.

“We were happy with her. She did everything right, but we haven’t just decided where we’re going to go yet,” he said.

“We have the Cordell Laverack at Gowran in mind, but we will see how she comes out of the race in the next 10 days.

“We’ll see how she gets on. She has an entry in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown, and we’ll make an entry in the Prix de l’Opera.

“We have a few options, but we haven’t made any decisions. I’ll talk to (owners’ racing manager) Angus Gold and see what he says.

“She’ll probably be all the better for going an extra couple of furlongs.”

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