James Bowe’s remarkable mare was small in stature but had a tremendous heart and a great engine and in her 40 race career, was successful on no fewer than 22 occasions. She raced in the care of Tom Foley in her first four races and after three placed attempts Solerina got off the mark when making all the running to win a bumper at Naas on March 10th, 2002. She did not appear again until finishing fifth in a winners event at Gowran the following October but it was not until she went over hurdles that her true worth began to show. Trained by James Bowe at this stage, Solerina was ridden by Paul Carberry when winning on her debut over hurdles at Thurles where her fast and accurate hurdling technique was too much for her rivals. Her next assignment was in the Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan but she was ridden differently on this occasion as she was held up in order to get the two and a half mile trip. However, while she ran a fine race Edward O’Grady’s Pizarro, winner of the Cheltenham Bumper earlier that year, proved two lengths too strong for her.
Having proved that two and a half miles was no problem for her, Solerina easily took a winners event over two miles and six furlongs at Thurles on her next start before dropping back down to the minimum distance at Punchestown ten days later. Again ridden from the front, she outpaced the well regarded Plenty Of Ice to win well and seven days later was back for a rematch with Pizarro in a Graded event at Navan. Sent straight to the front under Paul Carberry, Solerina put up an excellent performance in defeating none other than subsequent top class chaser, Kicking King, by eight lengths with a below par Pizarro well adrift in third place to confirm herself as a top class novice hurdler. At this stage she was beginning to get the same kind of attention that her stable companion, Limestone Lad, used to receive as the racing public loved her style of running and the fact that she had such a big heart for her small size.
Having triumphed at Navan, she then comfortably defeated Central House in a two horse affair at Leopardstown before easily winning another Graded event over the same course three weeks later. Aimed at the Grade One Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown she clashed with the Dessie Hughes trained Hardy Eustace who had won the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse earlier in the season. In a terrific battle Solerina made all the running under Paul Carberry and although strongly pressed by Hardy Eustace from early in the straight, she managed to keep him at bay by two lengths in a great finish. All roads now led to Cheltenham but unfortunately it was soon revealed that Solerina had sustained an injury and was ruled out for the rest of the season and connections were left wondering what might have been as Hardy Eustace galloped to a memorable win in the Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The mare returned to action in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown that November and despite being well short of fitness, ran a blinder to finish a close up third to Back In Front. Following on from this fine effort, she was back to her best a couple of weeks later when winning the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse before easily defeating Rosaker in theTara Hurdle at Navan. At this point it was decided that a crack at two miles would determine whether she should be trained for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham so her next race was in the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas. Although she ran as well as ever, she could ever burn off her rivals over this shorter trip and in the end had to settle for fourth place behind shock winner, Golden Cross. Stepped back up in trip she regained the winning thread when defeating inferior rivals at Naas in late January before taking her place in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. Her usual front running tactics were employed but she did not appear to last out the trip when finishing a remote fourth to Iris’s Gift and connections then decided to give her a try on the flat. At the Curragh in early April, she made all to defeat the highly rated Handel in a conditions event while eleven days, made it a quick double when proving too strong for Georges Girl at Tipperary. With no suitable race for her at the Punchestown Festival, connections felt that another try at two miles was worth a shot but on ground faster than she would like, she had no answer to the likes of Champion Hurdlers Hardy Eustace and Rooster Booster and had to make do with sixth place to round off another very successful season.
Returning to action in the John James Memorial Hurdle at Tipperary in early October she took advantage of the soft ground on offer when defeating Accordion Etoile and Harchibald before finishing runner up to Essex in the Irish Cesarewitch Handicap at the Curragh. In early November, she was stepped back up to her favourite distance of two and a half miles at Navan and easily beat Rosaker before another tremendous performance in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle saw her defeating the very talented Brave Inca by six lengths. This effort set her up nicely for another clash with Hardy Eustace in the Tara Hurdle at Navan and in a dramatic contest, held off the reigning Champion Hurdler by two and a half lengths. Aimed at the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas she again showed that two miles against the best hurdlers around was too short for her as she finished fourth to Macs Joy and three weeks later she occupied the same position behind the same horse in a thrilling AIG Europe Champion Hurdle.
As she was a year older, connections felt that another attempt at three miles was worth a shot, so the Boyne Hurdle at Navan in early February was the next port of call but uncharacteristically she fell for the only time in her hurdling career at an early stage leaving the way clear for Emotional Moment to waltz home. Thankfully, she suffered no ill effects from the tumble but Cheltenham was given a miss and a switch back to the flat at Tipperary in mid-April helped her get back on the winning trail as she comfortably justified odds on favouritism under Nina Carberry. Another attempt at three miles ended in failure as she was well beaten in the Champion Stayers’ Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival and just three days later, this remarkable mare finished a creditable third in the listed Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan.
Her final season commenced with a fall in the John James McManus Memorial Hurdle at Tipperary in early October. Fortunately, she was not injured but was deemed a most unlucky loser as she looked set for victory when taking a final flight tumble, which left Harchibald to claim the prize. Connections switched her back to the flat to regain her confidence and despite starting favourite, had to settle for third place behind Golden Cross in the Leopardstown November Handicap five weeks later. Her favourite racecourse appeared to be Navan and she recorded another victory there the following week when proving four lengths too strong for Back In Front in the Lismullen Hurdle, a performance which set her up nicely for another crack at the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse in early December. In what was one of the most memorable races of the entire season, she showed tremendous courage in defeating Golden Cross by a short head with Brave Inca back in third as she equalled her stable companion, Limestone Lad, in landing this Grade One contest for the third consecutive year. Another bloodless victory followed just seven days later when she took the Tara Hurdle by twenty lengths but another attempt at three miles in the Woodies DIY Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas ended in defeat as she failed to last home in finishing fourth to Rosaker. Solerina’s final racecourse outing proved to be a winning one as she landed the Cedar Building Hurdle at Naas in January 2006 from her stable companion, Florida Coast, and it was a fitting end to a mare whose fantastic displays throughout her career endeared her to many racing fans.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland - Updated February 2007
