Mixed Feelings

Trainer Joseph Patrick O'Brien, who runs a prolific yard at Owning Hill in County Kilkenny, was pleased with her winning reappearance at Leopardstown but noted she still looked a touch inexperienced. Her plan at the time was cautious: a step up to a winners' race, perhaps at Killarney, before asking her to compete in top-level stakes races. That measured approach makes sense for a young horse who showed early promise but hasn't built on it consistently. It has been five months since her last win, a gap that suggests the yard may be taking its time with her development rather than rushing into stronger company. For a three-year-old, that kind of patience can pay off, though Mixed Feelings will need to show she can recapture the form that took her to the winner's enclosure at Leopardstown if she is to fulfil her potential.