Alexandrova and Fallon look sure to draw the crowds to the Curragh for Oaks day
Nothing galvanises an audience in this country, in any sport, like the notion that one of their own has been done a wrong. The decision by the Horseracing Regulatory Authority, to prevent Fallon from riding in Britain, is perceived by the majority here as the equivalent of finding him guilty before the evidence is heard.
The notion the HRA was merely protecting the integrity of racing in Britain holds no water for the majority, one suspects, in Ireland. We love our sporting heroes and there is no flat jockey riding today who is more popular with punters than Fallon, on both side of the Irish Sea.
That's why the Curragh may well attract a bigger than usual attendance and there won't be a dry eye in the house if Fallon and his equine partner do the business. You could even envisage a scenario whereby even the hardened members of the press corps, cynics and all, could be moved to tears! Yeah, right.
Anyway, there is every reason to believe Alexandrova well capable of winning another classic. Her performance when landing the Epsom Oaks was a revelation, sweeping through from off the pace to score by six lengths. You just cannot argue with that and her time was almost identical to Shirocco, who beat Ouija Board in the previous race, the Group One Coronation Cup. Shirocco is, of course, the current joint-favourite with Hurricane Run for the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe.
************
CAN anyone explain what was the purpose of that meeting at Leopardstown last Saturday night?
What an absolute bore, consisting of six handicaps, in which horses carried the colours of Premiership football teams, and a Group Three. All the handicaps were confined to ten runners, that on a wide open track built to facilitate many more. This is what the media release said prior to the meeting: “In the six (relevant) races each jockey will be racing in the shirt colours of the 20 English Premiership football clubs. The result of each race will be compiled into a league points system, culminating with the winning club receiving the perpetual MasterCard Football Furlong Trophy.”
Wow. The winning club, whoever the hell that was - does anyone really care - must have been ecstatic when the wonderful news filtered through.
But wait, there's more.
The release went on to tell us that the long-term ambition is to expand the event around the world, targeting racing and football-loving countries such as Dubai, Hong Kong and China.
In the next five years it is hoped the Football Furlong will take place in all five continents. The whole thing sounds like one, long yawn.
Perhaps, there is a good reason for its existence, but surely it is time to consign this rubbish to the history books and return to what the punter, at least the Irish version, wants - normality.
************
IT was great to see the go-ahead Limerick track get a decent crowd last Sunday, some 4,000, after they had marketed it as a family raceday.
Management clearly believe you have to work hard to make the turnstiles click and there was a real buzz about the place. Give the public what it wants and they will come back - and the racing wasn't bad either. Mind you, one always thinks that after backing the winner of the bumper!
************
THERE is some value in morning prices - never better illustrated than by the juvenile maiden at Roscommon on Monday evening.
All logic dictated there were only two possible winners, David Wachman's Whatsthescript and Kevin Prendergast's Dimenticata. Monday morning and you could back Whatsthescript at 5-2 and there was some 11-4 about Dimenticata.
The off-course layers had about as much chance of showing a profit in this race as David Beckham has of ever winning a World Cup medal. Whatsthescript, returned 7-4, beat Dimenticata (11-8) a head with the rest literally unsighted.
And what a training performance that was by Dermot Weld to get Royal Intrigue to land the Listed race on the same card. Previously, he had to dig deep at Naas, went off 1-2, to beat the moderate Quai Du Roi half a length. But, fitted with blinkers, he made practically all to run far better rivals than he met at Naas ragged.
