Tomahawk's Guineas odds chopped
The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt earned a quote of 10-1 for the Sagitta 2000 Guineas from Cashmans after landing the Oak Lodge Sires Loughbrown Stakes. Coral go 12-1 from 16-1 with Ladbrokes making him a 14-1 shot from 20s.
Tomahawk finished second in last season’s Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket just a week before finishing eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Arlington Park in Chicago but appeared none the worse for his busy campaign.
The three-year-old, a 1-2 chance, was always going well for Michael Kinane before being asked to quicken approaching the last of the seven furlongs and the response was immediate as he ran on to score by a comfortable length from Abunawwas.
“He got a few gruellers last year and we probably did the wrong thing taking him to America after Newmarket,” said O’Brien.
“You’d hope he’d get a mile, ridden that way, as he has plenty of speed.
“We just wanted him to have a good experience today and Michael saw to that.
“He’d obviously be a Guineas contender but which Guineas I’m not sure.”
Kinane added: “You’d have to be happy with that.”
O’Brien, who saddled Rock Of Gibraltar and Hawk Wing to finish first and second in last year’s 2000 Guineas, is also responsible for Hold That Tiger, the ante-post favourite for the Newmarket Classic.
Ladbrokes spokesman Balthazar Fabricius said: “The firm has also shortened up Hold That Tiger to 7-2 (from 4-1) with the O’Brien camp looking to have a strong hand yet again for this year’s 2000 Guineas.”
Johnny Murtagh, who deputised for the late arriving Kieren Fallon on Abunawwas, was hit with a two-day (April 2 and 6) ban for careless riding on the Kevin Prendergast-trained colt.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Murtagh said.
“The stewards are cracking down and once they are consistent at least we’ll know where we stand.”
O’Brien and Kinane had been on the mark earlier with 11-8 favourite Colossus in the Tally Ho Stud European Breeders Fund Maiden.
Colossus led inside the final furlong to beat Clock Tower by half a length, after which O’Brien said: “He’s a nice colt with plenty of speed and he’ll progress.”
Kinane was impressed with the brother to Danehill Dancer and said: “He’s a colt with a future, a pacy horse although he ran a bit fresh with me today.”
Murtagh enjoyed better luck when recording an easy win on Livadiya in the ladbroke.com Irish Lincolnshire to give trainer Harry Rogers his biggest success.
Rogers said: “She loves an ease in the ground and I was pretty hopeful she was ready for today.
“She did it well and might run in a Listed race at Leopardstown next Saturday if she shows me she’s OK in the meantime.”
Explaining his delay Fallon said: “I was on the 10am flight from Stansted to Dublin which left at 12.15 and I arrived at 1.30.”
Fallon’s first ride was on Wrong Key for his old boss Prendergast and the even-money favourite duly obliged in the European Breeders Fund Park Express Stakes, holding on by half a length from Miss Nashwan in the Listed contest.
Dermot Weld has his string in good form and was on the mark with Colemanstown in the Madrid Handicap.
The Curragh trainer’s Classic hope Refuse To Bend is set to reappear at Leopardstown next month.
“Refuse To Bend runs in the 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown on April 13 and then we’ll see where he goes after that,” he said.
