"Difficult" Pretending impresses Just Pretending was friendless before the off in the Slane Fillies Maiden at Navan but ran out an impressive winner none-the-less. The Ballydoyle filly opened up at 11/10 on course but was returned 7/4 as they jumped in the mile contest. She tracked Cocktail Hour throughout before tackling the front-runner a furlong and a half out. The daughter of Giant's Causeway soon hit the lead and quickened clear inside the final furlong to post a four-and-a-half length victory. The winner had been a big eye-catcher at Dundalk last month when staying on late into third. “She's a very difficult mare. Seamie (Heffernan) rode her the last day and said to try her in a hood and it seems to have helped her,” said Joseph O'Brien afterwards. “He also said whatever you do don't hit her. She showed today that there is a bit of ability there and hopefully she can progress. She's a very well-bred filly.” The winner is a half-sister to the Grade 3 winner in the US called The Leopard, who cost $2,500,000 as a two-year-old. (Additional reporting by Alan Magee)
