Memoir poised to provide magical start to busy week
We supplemented Dragon Pulse for the Galileo Futurity Stakes. Aidan O’Brien has won this race seven times and has a strong entry again but I’m just hoping we get a bit of the rain that has been forecast. We’ve now got wind, but no rain, which isn’t ideal so we’ll have to wait and see.
I am very happy with him since he won in Leopardstown. He has improved physically and I was happy enough to supplement him. I just hope some rain comes.
Ironically, I want no rain for Native Palm in Ballinrobe tomorrow. Not so long ago, I was talking about him being at the last chance saloon but he has taken to chasing much better than he did hurdling. The fact is that he jumps very well and they’re not going quite as quick so he seems to enjoy it more.
Having said that, he didn’t like the track at all in Tramore last Sunday but I was delighted with the way he battled all the way to be second, and he should go close again.
Magical Memoir has a great chance in the four-year-olds’ only handicap. She’s an experienced handicapper who is very consistent and looks to be in good form.
Killarney is always good fun and we will have plenty of runners during the week. Princess Severus, Royal Blue Star, Fairy Wing, Lady Geronimo, Gimli’s Rock, Law Rebel and Bullock Harbour are all ones to look forward to.
During the past seven days, Laughing Lashes’ run in the Yorkshire Oaks on Thursday was a big disappointment. She got very upset and knocked herself about a bit in the stalls beforehand but ran no sort of race at all.
It has emerged afterwards that she wasn’t right and, while you don’t want them not to be in full health, it’s good to have a reason because that was not her form at all. She’s back home now and we’ll give her a mini-break before she returns to give a true reflection of her ability.
I was moaning and groaning a bit afterwards about how things haven’t gone right any time I’ve gone to England for the big races in the spring and summer. But one of my owners was in the car with me and he said “it’s not as if you haven’t had any winners in England before, I wouldn’t worry about it”. Of course he was right. I’ve been lucky to enjoy plenty of success across the water and you just have to take the bad days with the good.
Gush was disappointing at Dundalk last Sunday as well, while Baffles Brains is still a bit weak and will go back out to the field for a while to strengthen up. Back Burner may have been only sixth but ran very well from a wide draw.
It was a desperate day at Roscommon on Monday but Glamorous ran another very good race when second. They went too quick for Lady Geronimo in the two-year-old maiden. She looked like she was going to be run out of it but she stayed very well to be fourth.
I was very pleased with her and she will run in Killarney next week. It had been over two months since she’d run and Fran said it was almost as if she were running her first race again because she was a bit green. So she should have learned a lot from that.
It was great for Fairy Wing to win the one mile handicap at Bellewstown on Wednesday. It was his first win from 15 starts but his second place finish at Gowran in his first start for us had shown us plenty of promise. If anything though, he won it too easily, by 5½ length.
I’ve been feeling my way a little bit with Princess Severus so I was delighted with her at Tipperary. I’ve now discovered that she really needs seven furlongs and not a mile. I’m delighted with her and she came out of the race very well.
I was thrilled with Absolute Crackers in the two-year-olds’ maiden and she goes for the Tattersalls Sales race in September next. We were really happy with Royal Blue Star, who wasn’t beaten far after a wide draw and she might come back to Killarney next week. She’s in great form.
In Bellewstown the same night we had a double with Bullock Harbour and Maller Tree. Bullock Harbour did it very easily for Conor O’Dwyer in the Legends’ Race and I was delighted for Conor, as well as Barry O’Connell, whose idea it was to get Conor for it. He’s in Killarney next Thursday over hurdles. He’s done very well, won four races and is progressing all the time. He’s a grand horse who’s had plenty of time so we’ll see where he goes.
Maller Tree had been knocking on the door and deserved that. Kate was saying that he was still a bit green, looking at the road crossings and everything but he did it well.
