Parramatta should go well in mares’ bumper
I'm over here with the Irish Three-day Eventing Team and will be here until Tuesday. Hopefully it will be a successful Games for the team and I wish them the very best of luck in their endeavours.
Back at home, we had a good winner at Leopardstown on Thursday when Fairy Wing raced clear in the seven-furlong handicap. It was brilliant to see him win off a mark of 72, having run off a mark of 50 this time last year. He has won four times for us in that period.
He is entered in a couple of races at Galway next week and is likely to run but we'll have to see what the handicapper does to him.
I was delighted with the run of Takeyourcapoff in the mile and six handicap. It was a very tough race and she ran as well as we could have expected. She has options at Galway but we’ll most likely aim her at the mares’ handicap hurdle towards the end of the week.
Ballybacka Lady made her debut for us in the Meld Stakes and she ran a super race to finish second behind Famous Name.
She won the 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown last year, when trained by Pat Fahy, and obviously has plenty of class.
She showed us that she should stay a bit further than nine furlongs and that opens up more options for her. Her main target for this season will be the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on September 8.
We also had a number of runners at Limerick on Thursday and Gimli’s Rock really seems to like that track as he always performs well there. He finished a very good second behind Baily Green in a decent novices’ chase.
Bullock Harbour was a bit disappointing when only fifth in the same race and I don’t know what happened to him.
There is obviously something amiss with Serein as he ran no sort of race in the Beginners’ Chase on the same card. I don’t know what it is yet but we’ll have to try and get to the bottom of it.
At the Curragh on Sunday, Bendzoldan ran another super race. She literally just got touched off - I couldn’t believe it.
Nevertheless, it was a great effort as the ground wasn’t to her liking and less than four months ago she was running on the all-weather off a mark of just 47. On Sunday she ran off 75 and in her five runs since April, she has won three times and finished second twice.
She has options at Galway but we’ll run her wherever we think she might get the best ground.
Princess Sinead was disappointing at the Curragh and that was her last race for us as she will be continuing her career in America.
Looking ahead to our other possible runners at Galway, I’d love to get Citizenship into the Qualified Riders’ race on Monday.
He won well on the flat at Killarney last week and is in very good form but he needs a number of the entries to drop out.
He is also entered in the Galway Hurdle and it’s a similar situation. He won the Boylesports.com Hurdle at Leopardstown earlier in the year and so has shown an ability to handle big-field handicap hurdles.
It would be super if he could sneak in at the bottom of the handicap but he needs seven to come out.
I’m looking forward to running Alpine Eagle in the Plate. He really wants good ground but if he gets it he could go well off just 9-12.
Royal Blue Star has an entry in the Topaz Mile on Tuesday - a race in which she was second last year - but we may wait for the Listed race later in the week.
Looking to the weekend, we have runners at Wexford this afternoon and our best chance should lie with Parramatta in the mares’ winners’ bumper.
She won very well at Ballinrobe back in May and is in good form. We’re hoping she’ll run a big race for Kate.
