Sayce Gold will be ready to run again next month, with the benefit of a short break following her defeat at Thurles.

The Mick Winters-trained mare won a bumper, a maiden hurdle and a Grade Three all in the space of four weeks.

She then dropped back a mile to the minimum trip for a Listed event at Thurles, but was never travelling with her usual zest and trailed in well beaten.

“I’ll start looking at races for her after February 1,” said Winters.

“There’s a race at Navan she could run in next month – we’re just looking after her, because she’s a big horse.

“We’re happy with her. Last time we might have just gone to the well a bit soon – but it could have been ground, (or) it could have been the trip.

“The jockey (Darragh O’Keeffe) reported to the stewards that she didn’t give him the same drag down to the start even.”

Winters himself sensed in the preliminaries that Sayce Gold was perhaps not quite herself.

He said: “I thought before the race she was a little fractious.

“That was unusual, because she can be moody at home but usually when she gets to the track she’s very quiet and professional.

“She’s had a couple of weeks off, has just been ridden back for the first time – and we’ll look for a race in February.

“I’ll have a chat with Mick Meagher (owner Trevor Hemmings’ racing manager).”