MANDOLIN TO HAVE A SMALL BREAK

Ian Fortune

After producing the most stunning performance at the Winter Racing Festival last weekend, connections of Droopys Mandolin have decided to side step the Christmas Oaks with a view to giving their star a well-deserved break.

Alan Dobbs confirmed the news yesterday evening stating, “We’re going to give Mandolin a six week break with a view to having a crack at the Oaks next year, all going well. As you know plans can go out the window with the bitches but that’s the hope and plan.

“She was awesome the other night. We have been so lucky to have three machines in recent years. It was such a great night of racing and it was great to be there. Pat [Dobbs] was sick he couldn’t be there but it was probably better as he hasn’t been a lucky charm. Any time he seems to go they run bad so I told him he should just stay in the UK.”

Needless to say, Alan was jesting about leaving his brother in the UK and the three machines he refers to are, of course, their Irish Oaks winner Ballymac Beanie, their National Puppy Stake winner Up The Style and the truly brilliant Droopys Mandolin, who was a sensational winner of the Galway Oaks just a week before her Festival triumph.

Alan is right. To have three such brilliant females arrive in quick succession is truly remarkable but we wish them continued luck. Pat and Alan have gone about things the right way, buying the best pedigrees and in Robert Gleeson they have found the right man to train their dogs. We all await the reappearance of Droopys Mandolin, who is potentially better than any they have had before and that is really saying something.