Murtagh takes over on Six Perfections
Regular rider, Thierry Thulliez, has been jocked-off in favour of the former Irish champion, following a poor performance on the filly in the English equivalent at Newmarket 16 days ago.
Alan Cooper, racing manager to the Niarchos family, who own Six Perfections, said yesterday: “I can confirm Six Perfections will run at the Curragh on Sunday and that John Murtagh will ride.” Asked if he wished to elaborate, Cooper responded with a terse, “no.”
The filly went off a heavily backed 7-4 market leader at Newmarket, but managed to find all the trouble going. She was hampered over two furlongs out, when very much nearer last than first, and then Thulliez seemed to panic. He switched her, rather dramatically, to her right. Six Perfections made up a huge amount of ground, once in the clear, but was never going to get to eventual winner, Russian Rhythm, and was beaten a length and a half into second spot.
Thulliez has paid the ultimate price and Six Perfections is certain to go off a short-priced favourite to redress the balance at the Curragh, with Murtagh aboard.
Meanwhile, connections of the lightly-raced Ikhtyar are considering supplementing the well-bred colt for the Entenmann’s Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday.
But if they decide not to fork out 40,000 by noon today to put the half-brother to last season’s French 2000 hero Landseer in the Curragh Classic, he is likely to run at Kempton the same day instead.
“Nothing has been decided yet,” said Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, yesterday. “I shall discuss it with Sheikh Hamdan.”
The John Gosden-trained son of Unfuwain, who holds entries in the Vodafone Derby and the St James’s Palace Stakes, only made his racing debut last month.
After finishing third in a Newbury maiden, he opened his account in impressive fashion with a five-length win over Always Esteemed at Sandown. Both his races so far have been over a mile.
Asked if the horse had pleased since his Sandown run, Gold remarked: “Very much so.”
Another horse, owned by Sheikh Hamdan, that may be supplemented for a Classic at a future date, is Hammiya.
The Marcus Tregoning-trained filly emerged as a possible candidate for the Vodafone Oaks when winning the Cheshire Oaks at Chester earlier this month.
“I haven’t talked to the owner yet. Obviously she’s potentially a very nice filly. There’s every possibility Sheikh Hamdan might want to do that but I haven’t asked him the question,” said Gold.
Elsewhere, Group One-winning filly Islington will be put through her paces at Newmarket racecourse today.
The winner of last season’s Nassau Stakes and Yorkshire Oaks will work over the full Rowley Mile with a galloping companion.
The four-year-old daughter of Sadler’s Wells, trained by Michael Stoute, holds an entry in the Group One Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on Sunday.
She is also in the Vodafone Coronation Cup at Epsom, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and Sandown’s Coral Eclipse Stakes. She wound up her three-year-old career by finishing third to Starine in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Arlington in October.
