Hannon warns Tiggy not certain to run in Abbaye
The Group One five-furlong dash, for which she would need to be supplemented, was the race on everyone’s lips after the speedy juvenile made it six wins from eight races in the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
While the Marlborough trainer is keen on taking her to Paris, there a lot of things to consider, especially the well-being of the filly.
“Tiggy Wiggy has come back fine and she may yet be heading for Paris, but I would like to stress that it is by no means certain,” he told www.richardhannonracing.co.uk.
“There are so many key factors to consider – would it be one race too many, will it come too quick and is it worth taking a chance when the draw out there is so important, not to mention the vital fact that either Richard Hughes rides at 2lb overweight or we look for a new jockey?
“The owners would love to run in France and so would we, but the welfare of Tiggy Wiggy comes first, and we will see how she is in a couple of days before making a decision as to whether to supplement.”
Hughes also has the best interests of the filly at heart and would not be too upset if another jockey rode Tiggy Wiggy in the Abbaye because he couldn’t do the weight.
“If she was fine to run, don’t worry about me, I’ll get over it,” the champion jockey told At The Races.
“I think Richard is going to monitor her and unless he’s 120 per cent happy he wouldn’t do it to her and send her.
“The nearest I could do to the weight is 8st 6lb, but that is neither here nor there.”
Looking ahead to next year, Hughes feels Tiggy Wiggy deserves the chance to see if she can stay the mile of the Qipco 1000 Guineas.
“We probably have to let her have a go at the Guineas. We all have a fair idea that she probably wouldn’t stay, but it would be a terrible shame not at least give her a go,” he said.
“And if she was to get a mile, there is nothing out there that would beat her.
“The plan would probably be something like the Fred Darling next spring and if she won that, let her take her chance. Why not?
“You’ve nothing to lose. You can always come back in trip.”
Meanwhile Mubtaghaa is likely to drop back in trip after the experiment in trying to get him to stay seven furlongs did not quite work out at Newmarket on Thursday.
The William Haggas-trained colt was sent off 3-1 favourite to follow up his victory in a valuable sales race at York last month, but had to settle for third place behind Maftool in the Somerville Tattersall Stakes.
Mubtaghaa appeared not to take too kindly to jockey Paul Hanagan’s tactics of trying to get him to settle in behind in the early stages.
“As Paul said, with Mubtaghaa we tried to get him to stay the trip and rode him accordingly,” said Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum.
“At York, Silvestre (de Sousa) let him do his own thing and travel up there right behind the leaders.
“As Paul said, he probably disappointed him by trying to organise him.
“He probably is a six-furlong horse and we were riding him to get the seven, just to see.
“We wanted to run him in the Mill Reef, but the ground had gone.
“He didn’t stay, but he was the first horse off the bridle, which is unusual, and it probably didn’t suit him being taken back.
“He was a bit keen, Paul took him back to try to settle him and it probably wasn’t the way to ride him.
“I don’t know yet if he will run again this year but he needs top of the ground, which is why he ran on Thursday.
“It’s less likely he’s going to get his ground now.”
Sheikh Hamdan also supplied the runner-up in that race, Markaz, trained by Barry Hills.
“Markaz ran well. He won’t run again this season,” said Gold.
