Fran Berry horses to follow: Recent eyecatchers in Ireland

KASHALA - 4th in fillies’ maiden, Curragh June 3

Arrietty got off the mark in good style in this after some promising efforts in defeat but it was the performance of KASHALA in fourth which caught me eye. Dermot Weld’s charge was making her debut in the Aga Khan silks and following a slow start found herself in rear.

She appeared to show signs of inexperience through the race but inside the final furlong the penny gradually began to drop and she finished off nicely to get within a neck of snatching third place. Given the fifth home, Ashikita, won next time in impressive fashion I think this is a filly to follow.

She’ll come on for that first run and with Galway just around the corner, it will be interesting to see if her trainer, so synonymous with that meeting, keeps her for one of the mile-and-a-half maidens at that festival. Wherever she goes she’s one to note and will stay further in time.

MERGUS SERRATOR - 5th in 1m4f handicap, Down Royal June 20

This is a first for me as I also put this horse up in a previous column as one to follow back up in distance after an eye-catching third run in maiden company at Killarney in mid-May. He duly took his chance as a heavily backed favourite on handicap debut in the Ulster Derby and while backers didn’t collect, it was a run that can be significantly upgraded.

He had a bad trip. Having been held up he made his move on the outside of the field from three furlongs out and as is often the case here, found himself getting wider and wider. Indeed off the home bend he was seven or eight horses wide and when you consider the winner had a grandstand run down the inside, for MERGUS SERRATOR to be only beaten three lengths at the death, it was a highly commendable run.

I’d expect him to pitch up at the Galway Festival or the Curragh on Irish Oaks weekend and he’s one to keep on the right side as I'm sure there’s more to come.

LIBERATE - 5th in 1m handicap, Curragh June 26

Formerly trained in the UK by James Horton where she won at Goodwood last year, she joined Denis Hogan from an opening mark of 75 back in April. She showed her first signs of life when running off a mark of 66 in a hot handicap on Iris Derby weekend where she had every chance going to the furlong pole.

In a race when many of the runners came from behind in a strongly-run contest, LIBERATE was in the firing line from the two-furlong pole and this was a cracking run. Given her relatively light-raced profile she’ll be of definite interest racing at Leopardstown on Thursday evening when she has a plum draw in stall one in a race that might not be as strong as the Curragh one was.

TOKYO TOWER - 6th in 1m2f maiden, Curragh June 26

He was strong in the market on debut with the booking of Oisin Murphy catching the eye but TOKYO TOWER showed lots of inexperience at various stages. He looked like dropping away but when he was switched to the inside in the final furlong, he did his best work at the finish to be beaten a little over three lengths.

Given how he shaped there, one would expect the son of Japan to improve a lot for that initial experience and Jack Foley’s charge is one to be interested in next time, possibly stepping up to a mile-and-a-half.

BALLYSKEAGH - 5th in 7f maiden, Roscommon June 30

Two-year-old races can often throw up interesting horses at this track and BALLYSKEAGH looks one for the notebook following this debut run. This looked a warm contest for the grade and Joseph O’Brien’s charge was quite well supported beforehand but from stall 13 found herself almost last into the home turn with a full field ahead of her.

Once she got organised inside the final quarter of a mile, she made good in-roads on the stands’ side of the field, finishing off strongly. It was a highly commendable debut given how she shaped in the early stages. You’d imagine she can get off the mark in a similar race next time granted a cleaner start.

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