Rising Sign makes her mark at Punchestown

PA Sport Reporters
September 13, 2023 2:00 pm

Well-bred filly strikes on seven-furlong debut.

Ger Lyons unveiled a nice prospect at Punchestown as Rising Sign made a winning start to her career.

The Juddmonte-owned and bred youngster is by Frankel out of Quail, making her a full-sister to the John and Thady Gosden-trained Covey, the winner of three of his six starts and tried at Group Two and Three level recently.

Well-backed at 9-4 for the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, Colin Keane’s mount stretched clear when asked to account for 13-8 favourite Grand Job by four and a half lengths.

Lyons said: “She’s very much a work in progress and can be a bit buzzy. We knew she had that in her, but it wasn’t all about today.

“We’ll discuss it with Barry (Mahon, Juddmonte racing manager) and see how she comes out of it, but there will be no rush back and you might not see her until a trial next year.

“All our fillies are ready like that. They have done their work and I just want to see them on the track. If they don’t win first time, they’ll win second time and I put them away.

“You would like what you’ve seen there. Like a lot of Irish maidens you don’t know what you’ve beaten, but she was trained to enjoy the experience and it was all about tomorrow.

“She quickened away and I love how she ran from the winning post to the hill, that was the most impressive part I thought.”