Murtagh hoping for Honolulu magic

Johnny Murtagh believes Honolulu has the ideal profile to provide him with a first victory in the Ladbrokes St Leger.

The Irishman, who seems to be Aidan O’Brien’s first-choice rider when Kieren Fallon is unavailable, has been picked to partner the likely favourite for tomorrow’s Doncaster Classic.

O’Brien has four runners, but the one to attract the money has been the lightly-raced Honolulu, who has been given a quiet campaign but finished a gallant second with a big weight behind Purple Moon in the Ebor.

“It was a great effort for a young horse in the Ebor, and it rode like a great race,” reported Murtagh, whose third on Sunshine Street in 1998 was his best placing in three Leger rides.

“I followed Jamie Spencer all the way through on Purple Moon and we got a lovely run through.

“Just the fact that his horse was a bit older probably helped him find that extra length. We stayed on well at the end, but I was beaten by a better horse on the day, but I think Aidan was always preparing him for this race.

“Hopefully if everything goes to plan he should have a very good chance. My lad will stay every yard and I think he will appreciate the better ground, so there are a lot of things in his favour.”