Pastorale makes highly promising Irish debut

French import Pastorale made a highly-promising debut in warm novice company at Naas yesterday for trainer Henry de Bromhead, finishing fifth in the prestigious Fishery Lane Novice Hurdle.

A winner in a claiming chase on her final start in France, at Pau in January, we purposefully gave her a good spring/summer break but had intended to run her in a mares’ race at Wexford last month, only for that to be abandoned due to the weather.

We didn’t have much in the way of options for her, so were taking on a field full of promising previous hurdling winners yesterday, including some very expensive recruits from France and the pointing field in Ireland.  However, Pastorale certainly held her own, travelling nicely throughout and though she was a little outpaced as they quickened at the second-last, she kept on very nicely under hands and heels from Darragh O’Keeffe to finish within 6.75 lengths of the winner.

We had intended on going chasing this season, but on the evidence of yesterday, there are races to be won over hurdles first and we’ll look for another novice contest for her in a month’s time.  A half-sister to the high-class French chaser Metasequoia (unseated when one of the leading fancies for this year’s French Gold Cup), it will obviously be an aim in her career. to pick up some black-type at some point, as she is a beautifully-bred filly and by a greatly-missed sire in Pastorius.

Pastorale in the paddock before her debut in the Pimlico colours at Naas