Sky’s the limit for Don Cossack
The display by the four-year-old certainly emphasised the extraordinary ability of Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud team to pinpoint, from an early stage, horses which have the potential to become genuine stars of the future.
Gigginstown inmates have made a cracking start to the season and this is an organisation that is going to have a big say in many of the major prizes throughout the campaign.
Prior to arriving at Naas, Don Cossack had run just once previously and that was at the Punchestown festival in early May.
He ran a nice sort of race to finish fifth of 24 behind easy five lengths winner, King Vuvuzela. There is no great evidence to suggest that was anything more than an ordinary enough heat.
King Vuvuzela, for instance, made a modest start to his jumping career when only fifth in what is already working out to be a poor contest at Cork last month.
The fourth horse at Punchestown, Morning Ireland, trained then by Jim Bolger, has since been bought by J P McManus and is now with Christy Roche.
His subsequent efforts have clearly indicated that, while he will pay his way, he is almost certain to fall well short of being top class.
And a number of other horses have come out of that contest and not exactly set the world alight either.
When Don Cossack ran at Punchestown, of course, he was in the care of Eddie Hales and it was only subsequent to the race he joined Gigginstown and was sent to be trained by Gordon Elliott.
Looking at Betfair, in the lead-in to Saturday’s bumper, it was noticeable just how much money there was in opposition to Don Cossack.
Certainly, some players clearly believed he was more than beatable and behaved accordingly.
You could just see why they were thinking that way, on the basis this appeared most competitive.
But those who opposed Don Cossack never had a prayer. Nina Carberry eased him into contention turning in and, essentially doing what amounted to half-speed up the straight, he crossed the line 18 lengths clear of the second.
He stayed two miles and three furlongs, in testing conditions, literally standing on his head and it was a deeply impressive performance.
Until those left trailing in his wake run again, we won’t know whether the form is worth a hill of beans.
Perhaps, time will reveal that Don Cossack was running past trees that Naas day. But, right now, connections are entitled to dream and find me a punter who won’t want to be with the horse next time!
And while on the subject of Gigginstown, that was a fair price Stan James offered about their number one rider, Davy Russell, to be champion jockey.
They went 4-9 Ruby Walsh and 2-1 Russell and that appeared to be an assessment which was well wide of the mark.
Russell, who will confine himself to Ireland for practically all of the season, unlike Walsh, has massive firepower and already holds a substantial lead over his main rival. Yesterday, it was 4-6 Walsh and 5-4 Russell, which was surely closer to the truth
Boylesports have also thrown their hat in the ring and hold an entirely different view, offering 4-7 Russell and 7-4 Walsh.
Russell deserves to be champion jockey at some stage and this looks to be his time. The hope is that these two mighty men remain relatively injury-free right through to the Punchestown festival and that will brighten the winter for all of us.
I KNOW Born To Sea hurt a muscle when beaten by Nephrite in the Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown on Sunday, but nothing should be taken away from the winner.
It’s impossible to be sure just what difference the injury made to Born To Sea, but he did beat the third decisively and chances are gave his running.
What was notable about Nephrite wasn’t just the style of his length and a half defeat of Born To Sea, but the fact such an effort was clearly anticipated by Ballydoyle.
Nephrite landed some right wagers, both in the morning and on track. There are plenty who think a ‘sound’ Born To Sea will reverse placings next time.
Here’s one, however, who would want to be solidly in the Nephrite camp.
THAT was a tasty gamble Christy Roche’s Groody Hill landed at Punchestown last week, 14-1 to 9-2.
Odds-compilers, who are paid to get prices mostly right, could not have dreamt they were looking in completely the wrong direction.
On overall form, but more particularly on his previous outing, you could not make a case for Groody Hill.
At Ballinrobe on August 21, he finished a tailed-off sixth of six finishers behind his stable companion, Stakers. Even allowing for the fact the heavy surface at Punchestown was in contrast to good to yielding at Ballinrobe it was still a massive difference.
