‘If we can leave Epsom behind us, he’ll run a big race’
The only thing seemingly in doubt is how far Epsom Derby hero Australia will win by. Five of the six horses (the odd one out is the John Oxx-trained Ponfeigh) that trailed in behind Australia at Epsom earlier this month re-oppose at the Curragh today. Of that quintet only Kingston Hill kept the Ballydoyle superstar honest at Epsom.
One of those to disappoint that day was the Dermot Weld-trained Fascinating Rock, who finished eighth, 11½ lengths in arrears of Australia. A forlorn hope today, then? Not so, says jockey Pat Smullen of a horse who went to Epsom quietly fancied having first won the Ballysax Stakes at Navan smoothly and then the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown in the stewards’ room after the demotion of Ebanoran.
“He seems in good form,” Smullen says of Fascinating Rock. “Obviously, he’s done very little work since then and now, we’ve just freshened him back up and he seems to be in good order.
“It was a bit rough down the hill and he didn’t really handle the track which can happen at Epsom. It wasn’t our horse’s true running. His two trial runs leading up to Epsom were very good and if we can leave Epsom behind us and he gives his true run, he’ll run a big race.”
Smullen believes Australia can be beaten but acknowledges the favourite will be a tough nut to crack if he scales the heights he reached at Epsom.
“Every horse can be beaten, that goes without saying, but if you were to go strictly on the formbook he’s going to be very difficult to beat,” Smullen concedes. “He’s always been held in very high regard by Ballydoyle and he showed that at Epsom and, if he reproduces that, he’s going to be difficult to beat.”
It’s 10 years since Smullen claimed his sole Irish Derby success on board Grey Swallow but the memory of the day lingers.
“All good memories, it was an amazing day, probably my best racing day and I would love to experience that again,” he says. “It’s every Irish jockey’s ambition. Epsom is obviously a great race to win if you were lucky enough todo that. but on your own home soil, your own Derby is very important and it would be a race you’d be hoping you have a horse good enough to win it.”
In 2004 he had just such an animal in Grey Swallow.
“He was a very good horse, he was champion Irish two-year-old, he won an Irish Derby as a three-year-old and he was a Group 1 winner at four so he was an extremely good horse.”
Smullen feels a horse needs three particular qualities to win an Irish Derby.
“They need to be mentally strong - it’s obviously not as demanding as what Epsom would be on them – but you need to be physically strong, mentally strong and you need to have a lot of ability. If you have those three qualities you’re a long way towards winning it,” he says.
Those three qualities are regularly displayed by Smullen himself and 37-year-old he looks to be well placed to be Ireland’s champion jockey for a seventh time. Not that he’s getting carried away: “It’s only June,” he cautions when it’s put to him that his lead over Joseph O’Brien is a commanding one.
Nevertheless, he admits becoming champion jockey is always a major target.
“Of course. I’m fortunate enough to have a job that supplies me with a lot of horses. It gives you an opportunity to be in the running to try and be champion jockey and I set out every year to try and ride as many winners as I possibly can. You’d be hoping that you might end up champion at the end of it.
“But – and it has always been the same – whoever is the rider in Ballydoyle is always the big opponent and that’s what Joseph is. But I’ll be giving it everything I possibly can to try and be champion.”
Most of Smullen’s victories this season and in seasons past have come thanks his role as Weld’s main jockey. Asked what makes Weld special, Smullen’s reply is instant.
“His attention to detail is second to none. Obviously he has a huge ability to train them. That’s the long and short of it. If you don’t have the ability, you don’t survive. His hunger for success is unbelievable.”
A recent highlight for the Smullen-Weld partnership came in the opening race of day two at Royal Ascot when Mustajeeb took the spoils in the Jersey Stakes last week. Just over half an hour later Smullen was back in the winner’s enclosure courtesy of the Edward Lynam-trained Anthem Alexander.
“Mustajeeb is a very progressive horse,” he says. “He’ll end up, hopefully, running in big races between now and the end of the year and Anthem Alexander is a very good two-year-old filly. She’s got a lot of speed, a lot of ability and she’s just very good.”
As is her jockey. It’s safe to assume that if Fascinating Rock again falls short of Australia today it won’t be the fault of the man on board.
