Belle disappoints

Belle didn’t show us what we had hoped at Longchamp today, and there aren’t too many excuses so we’ll have to go back to the drawing board with her. The pace was too quick for her on the fast ground, and while she tried to make a bit of a move in the stretch, she kept on one-paced and couldn’t get closer. We’ll have to go back to the longer 2,400-meter distance and I think a little more cut in the ground might help – although I still don’t think she will do much on true heavy ground. She wasn’t blowing much after the race despite the pace, meaning she didn’t try all that hard. We’ll have to keep at it, maybe with the help of sheepskin cheek pieces next time to get her to focus a bit. She hasn’t really had all that much racing, so we’ll keep trying with her to see what can be done. Seasonal factors also might be at play – she seems to be in season constantly, and while she hasn’t shown signs of being particularly bothered by that in her work at home, it might be affecting her racing. She was running better in the winter at Deauville, so that might be why. In any case, she’s a huge, good-looking filly, and I’m sure there’s a race out there for her.