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| Sumita Pawar |
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Highfield Princess, the talented mare trained by John Quinn, suffered a setback in her recent race at the Curragh. However, there is hope that she can reclaim her form in the upcoming Prix de l'Abbaye, provided she recovers well from her below-par performance.
During the Irish Champions Festival, Highfield Princess was favoured to defend her Flying Five Stakes crown. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side, and she finished in the middle of the pack, securing a modest fifth place. To everyone's surprise, it was Moss Tucker, trained by Ken Condon, who emerged victorious.
The race started off on the wrong foot for Highfield Princess as she slipped exiting the stalls. This setback put her at a disadvantage from the beginning. Despite her best efforts to make up ground swiftly, she couldn't deliver the decisive blow that had characterized her previous triumph in this race a year ago.
Setbacks & Resilience: A Tale Of Determination
"She was scoped afterwards and was absolutely fine so the coughing was just mud that was kicked back because she got behind early on so she was fine on that front," explained Quinn.
"Missing the break did not help her. Jason said she lost her hind legs when she came out and with the first stride she took her hind legs went. She was on the back foot straight away and did well to finish where she did in the end. It's just one of those things and these things can happen."
The team at Quinn's Highfield Stables will now conduct a comprehensive check on her to ensure her well-being and readiness. They have tentatively scheduled her next start at ParisLongchamp on 1st October.
Quinn added, "She's fine this morning. We'll have a good look at her and if she is OK we will run her in the Abbaye."