Linda Barrett opens her season with a victory Expensive-purchase Linda Barrett powered home to get off the mark in the opening five furlong maiden at Navan. The Dark Angel filly made €275,000 at the Sales in October 2019 and only saw the racetrack once during her juvenile campaign when 11th at Dundalk over seven furlongs in December. She went off 12/1 for this second assignment and raced prominently under Andrew Slattery. Buzz Of New York was smartly away from stall one to lead 13/8 favourite Provocateuse who tracked her from stall two. Provocateuse came to claim Buzz Of New York a furlong and a half down. However Linda Barrett was given the squeeze by Slattery and made headway to pass the leader over a furlong out. She stuck to her task well to see off newcomer Shikoko (33/1) by half a length. Young Angel (9/1) ran on for third a further length and a quarter away. Provocateuse weakened inside the final furlong to finish fifth. Trainer Fozzy Stack said: “She was disappointing the first day and I don’t think the trip was the problem that day — nothing really happened. It was probably the first time out blues. “Hopefully she will step up off that and we can find a winners’ race or a three-year-old handicap. "She handled the ground and had been working okay on it in the spring. You wouldn’t think it as she is not the biggest filly in the world. “She should get six (furlongs) eventually. She wasn’t killing herself the last 100 yards as she was flicking her ears.” Additional reporting by Alan Magee
