Murt off to Galway — but only if the ground is good

Saturday, July 21, 2012

The weather has relented a bit in the past week, meaning that I have been able to get more runners out on the track and thankfully, clock up three more winners.

Last weekend was very quiet, as expected, but I had expressed optimism that Go On Murt would follow up a victory in Dundalk with more success on the same track on Monday, just four days later. And he did, winning comfortably by two and a quarter lengths.

He is improving all the time, having strengthened up very well from two to three. Unfortunately the handicapper has been a bit too impressed, putting him up a total of 21 pounds for those two wins in races that weren’t very strong.

We have no choice now but to step him up to better company and we’ll see how he does there. There are a couple of possible assignments in Galway, but he won’t go if the ground isn’t good. If that happens, we’ll be looking for something elsewhere over seven furlongs or a mile.

Killarney kicked off on Tuesday and Bullock Harbour was tailed off in the novice chase. There is no cause for alarm though. He just ran too free and had the choke out the whole way, so there was nothing left in the tank. He would have needed the run anyway, so that will bring him on a good bit and we’ll try to get him out shortly.

Born To Benefit produced a much improved effort in the 2½ mile handicap hurdle from the previous Friday in Downpatrick. The same applied to Baffles Brains on Wednesday, who came on for the run in Dundalk. We’re going to drop him back in trip though as I don’t think he just gets the mile.

It looks like Burn And Turn came across a very good horse in Go All The Way, who had 11 lengths in hand at the end. It was a good run to be second though and she came out of the race well. She will improve again from that though and will be looking to get her out as soon as I can.

Thursday night was very good, with a cross-card double from 11 runners between Killarney and Leopardstown. There were some pleasing performances as well.

Citizenship got us under way in the mile handicap at Killarney and he did it very well, making the expected improvement for the previous run and improvement in ground. It was easy enough, with 4¾ lengths back to the second. I was delighted for Kevin, who has lost his ten-pound claim as a result, and is now on seven.

Citizenship is entered for the Galway Hurdle at the moment but I don’t think he’ll get into it, so there are a couple of flat handicaps as alternatives, while we will also consider the amateur handicap. Kate is pushing hard for that.

Masterofdeception ran well in the bumper to be fourth of 16 runners. He needed it a little bit as he had been held up a bit after his last run for a while. We’ll get him back now and hopefully he’ll go in the next time.

At Leopardstown, Polished Rock made a big improvement in the two-year-old maiden. I was really pleased with him as he probably just needed the run and we’ll get him out again as soon as possible because he seems to be going the right way. Cape Violet and Fairy Wing – having his first run after a wind op – also gave cause for optimism.

Back Burner did it very comfortably in the nine-furlong handicap that I won with Bible Belt last year. He had been a beaten favourite at the track a month previously, but that was his first run since the previous September and he needed the run badly.

In the Challenge Stakes, Steps To Freedom stayed on very strongly to be third, just 2½ lengths behind the winner, Galileo’s Cchoice. You could see though, around the back, he wasn’t really going anywhere in the ground. As soon as they came into the straight and Fran could get him onto the better ground, he flew home and was closing on them bvery fast.

I was very pleased with Bob Le Beau in the same race. I just had to get a run into him and he’s only had the one so far this year. He is a horse that can take a lot of running and gets fitter for each run. The fitter he is, the better he gets and he will come on an awful lot for that.

Mentioning Bible Belt, she is another that I have been tearing my hair out trying to get a run for, particularly as the Yorkshire Oaks is the big target. So she left for Newmarket yesterday morning and as long as it’s not too soft, she will take her chance in the Park Stud Stakes.

On Sunday, Princess Sinead is in the Kilboy Estate Stakes. She has been campaigning consistently at Group level and you’d like to think that she’s good enough to win a Group 3. She’d like the ground to be a little better but if she reproduces some of her best form, that would make her very hard to beat.

Bendzoldan is coming back in the fillies’ handicap after taking a bit of a break. She has won three on the trot and is in good order after the break. We’d like to think she’s continuing to improve and she should give a very good account of herself here.

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