Inspiring looks ready to strike
O’Brien and stable jockey, Johnny Murtagh, are facing into a big weekend, with St Nicholas Abbey in the English 2000 Guineas, and the daughter of Montjeu can send the duo off to Newmarket in the best of form by providing themwith a minor confidence-booster.
The selection improved substantially from her first to her second outing as a juvenile and seems to have trained on well, on the evidence of a first pop of the campaign at Leopardstown last month.
Awe Inspiring stayed on quite nicely in the closing stages to finish four and a half lengths second behind Hazarfa and one would expect some nice improvement to be forthcoming.
Murtagh can also take the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fund Race for two-year-olds aboard Tommy Stack’s High Award.
The son of Holy Roman Emperor got off the mark at the first time of asking at the Curragh and can shrug off a 5lbs penalty, on what is going to be a far better surface.
David Wachman’s Echoes Of History is the one to beat in the Cork Racecourse Maiden for colts and geldings.
Light in the market first time out at Dundalk, he belied his position in the betting when beaten a short head by Lingapour, who scored again at Gowran Park on Sunday last.
Feature event is the Listed Cork Stakes and the nod here falls on Joanna Morgan’s Miss Gorica. She produced a stunning display of pure speed to defy a massive 10-8 in a six furlongs handicap at Navan on Sunday and the conditions of this contest very much favour her.
