3 minute read
Trainer Chris Wall was left wondering what might have been after Double Or Bubble finished a gallant fifth in Saturday’s Darley July Cup.
Impressive winner Alcohol Free, along with the placed pair of Naval Crown and Artorius, occupied stall positions of 14, 13 and 12 respectively in the Newmarket showpiece, while the fourth home, Creative Force, was not too far away in stall nine.
Double Or Bubble, meanwhile, was allocated stall five and no horse drawn lower than the five-year-old finished better than eighth out of the 13 that went to post.
It was an improved result for Double Or Bubble, who finished in midfield when tackling a Group One for the first time in the Platinum Jubilee at Royal Ascot, and her performance on the July Course has given Wall plenty of hope for the future.
"We were delighted with how she ran," said the trainer.
"She ran much better than at Ascot, where she just came up a little bit short. Potentially stepping into Group One company for the first time could have found her out.
"On Saturday we were sort of left thinking what might have been if we had been drawn in a higher stall and therefore able to race where the main contenders were. I'm not going to suggest for one minute we would have won the race, that would be a step too far, but I think we would have definitely have been fourth and we may have been challenging for third if we had been on that side of the track.
"I think in the sprinting department, while there is plenty of people who take it on, it probably shows there is no real star, so there are quite a few people prepared to give it a go.
"The nature of sprinting when you've got a lot of horses involved, a lot can depend on where you are drawn and how the race pans out more than the ability of individual horses, so you might get your turn if you're lucky and we'd be prepared to roll the dice again at that level for sure."
Although not scared at the prospect of taking on the very best again in the future, immediate plans for Double Or Bubble are fluid, with her versatility viewed as a significant asset.
Wall added: "She's an admirable filly, very tough and consistent and I wouldn't shy away from another one if the right opportunity came up.
"We don't have a definitive plan in mind at the moment, but there are plenty of options we can think about.
"In an ideal world you would like to campaign her at Group Two level, because she has won a Group Three and you only have to hump a penalty if you run at that level again. We could step her up to seven furlongs and that brings in races like the Oak Tree and Lennox at Goodwood or we could look abroad.
"The Maurice de Gheest hasn't closed yet so we'll probably make an entry for that, but with Deauville you are never quite sure what the ground might be, so it is hard to make a firm plan, but there are definitely plenty of routes we could go down."
