An hour to savour at Down Royal
Gimli’s Rock won the Grade 2 Hurdle really well and had a lot of good horses behind him, including Summit Meeting, who stayed all the way to the line in his first run since finishing fourth in Cheltenham last March. He should improve from that.
Gimli’s has improved so much recently though. He’s been going right through the summer so I knew he was fit enough. He wouldn’t have been in love with the ground but he did it very well indeed.
That was his 11th run this year between hurdles and flat and it was his fifth win. He’s been second three times as well. He’s just getting better and better but he deserves a break now and may well go for the Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran in the New Year.
Saville Row stayed on well to win the Maiden Hurdle by a neck and we were delighted with him, particularly as it was his first race. He’s a lovely big sort and we always felt that whatever he was going to do over hurdles would be a bonus. For a while, we thought he would never come on but he started to improve recently. I told Robbie to try to be in the first five but it was great to win. He’s built for chasing though and that’s where his future lies next year.
Bostons Angel made it three wins in an hour for us. We had been very pleased when he finished second to Thegreatjohnbrowne in Punchestown. He stayed on very well that day and did the same yesterday, putting the race to bed very quickly to win by seven lengths. His form had entitled him to be favourite and to win in that fashion, especially as he had improved so much from the last day. He’ll run in the Drinmore Chase next.
Last weekend, I was delighted with The Bull Hayes finishing second in Navan in his first run over obstacles. He clearly enjoyed hurdling and jumped really well. He stayed on well too and I really liked that because he has had to lump so many big weights on the flat. He might run next week in a two-and-a-half mile hurdle for four-year-olds only at Punchestown.
No One Tells Me ran her first two chases in the space of a week. She jumped around well and improved a good bit on Thursday in Thurles from Saturday’s run in Naas. She’s being aimed at the memorial race to my brother in Fairyhouse.
Oscars Well only got in as first reserve in the maiden hurdle at Thurles. My other horses had already travelled by the time I got word so I loaded him up in the little box and drove down myself. I was delighted that he finished second beaten just a half a length. He needs two and a half miles though.
Hume River was a bit disappointing in the Cork National. It takes him a few runs to warm up so he’s going to go again at Fairyhouse at the end of the month. He will have blinkers or cheek pieces on because he can be a bit cowardly. If he’s squeezed at all he can back off but he stayed on well and if he repeats last year’s trend, he’ll get better as the campaign continues.
Ruby will no doubt be talking about Kauto Star and it’s great that he will be in Down Royal today. It’s brilliant for the track and what I still call the Nicholson Chase is a good quality affair, as is the Fortria Chase tomorrow.
Falcon Island is having his first run for the yard today since coming from Gordon Elliott’s. He’s been working very well and I’d be hoping for a good one. Roberto Goldback is in the second season novices’ chase. He’s been very unlucky with two falls and being brought down but we schooled him at Punchestown and he went well so we’re hoping for the best. Serein is in the bumper having finished third last time and I’m just hoping the ground won’t be too heavy for her.
This evening Bob Le Beau runs in the listed race in Dundalk. Shane Foley is back from a broken leg and collarbone. He has won twice on him so it would be great coming back if he could do it again. Baiadilla Beach is the unluckiest horse in racing I think, as she’s been drawn 14 of 14, right on the outside, just as she was in Leopardstown. That will make it very difficult for her.
Tomorrow I have three entered in Navan. I’m hoping Saludos will come on from his first run, while earlier in the maiden hurdle, Stop At Nothing is a nice big Old Vic horse who we’re hopeful about. Meitheamh is still a maiden but we’re running her in the Grade 3 hurdle to try to get some black type. She’s two stone better going left-handed than going right, which is strange but some horses are like that. Hume River won’t go left at all.
Just a word on racing being abandoned at Fairyhouse. It’s unusual that it would happen twice in a week, after Wexford being stopped early the week before, but it’s the right thing to do if there are safety issues and the good thing is that there were no jockeys or horses injured.
I think it’s probably happening because we had such a dry summer and with the heavy rain now, you’re getting situations where the ground is fine in one area but in places it’s like quicksand. At the end of the day, it’s not anybody’s fault.
Finally, we’ll have a website going live soon, www.jessicaharringtonracing.com. This will enable us to give updates through weekly bulletins and monthly newsletters about the horses in the yard. Keep an eye out for it.
