Henrythenavigator wins Irish 2000 Guineas
Henrythenavigator confirmed Newmarket superiority over New Approach to claim a Classic double in the Boylesports Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh today.
Aidan O'Brien completed the English-Irish double six years ago with multiple Group One winner Rock Of Gibraltar and the Ballydoyle handler repeated the feat as Johnny Murtagh steered the 5-4 winner to an emphatic victory.
A step up to a mile and a half could now be on the cards for Henrythenavigator, with O'Brien stressing the Vodafone Derby is very much a possibility for the son of Kingmambo.
With just five runners going to post for the mile Classic, last year's champion two-year-old New Approach headed the betting as the 11-10 favourite to exact his revenge after going down by a nose at Newmarket three weeks ago.
Jim Bolger's charge was in trouble with well over two furlongs to run however, Kevin Manning being hard at work to keep the Galileo colt in the front rank on firm ground.
Murtagh, meanwhile, was hacking along in behind and unleashed his mount well inside the final furlong to sweep by New Approach and slam him by a length and three-quarters.
Newmarket third Stubbs Art was a further three and a half lengths in arrears.
O'Brien said: "Johnny was so confident and kept saying this fellow won't come off the bridle during his work.
"The lad who rides him every day said before Newmarket that he is a mile-and-a-quarter horse on the dirt, but some of the other lads said he is very fast and Johnny always thought a mile would be very easy to him.
"All the options are open, but most Kingmambo horses stay well and he is out of a Sadler's Wells mare."
With all options being open and Ballydoyle seemingly without a leading Derby candidate, Coral make Henrythenavigator their 7-2 favourite for the blue riband with VC Bet and Paddy Power offering 4s, William Hill 5-1 and Boylesports 6s. Interestingly, however, Ladbrokes chose not to quote the colt for Epsom.
O'Brien added: "The Derby is very much in the picture, but obviously it is the boss (John Magnier) and Sue (Magnier) who will decide that. He is a definite possible as he is fit and well and handles all of the things.
"He has a devastating turn of foot and that is what makes the good horses special."
Murtagh was slightly more circumspect in talk of the Derby.
He said: "He has got a lot of speed and a great turn of foot, but I am not sure about a mile and a half.
"When we go home and work him one more time it will tell us which direction we are going to go.
"I wouldn't be disappointed if I was told I was riding him in the Derby though!"
He added of his latest Classic victory: "To be fair it was very easy, but I was very confident coming here today and I always thought he was going to do that.
"His work has been much sharper. The soft ground last year was sickening him, but getting back on the good ground in Newmarket really helped him to come out of the race well.
"He has a lot more confidence in himself. He travelled well during the race and when I asked him to quicken it was all over in a matter of strides."
With a lack of rain in Kildare in recent days, Bolger was unhappy with ground conditions with the official going having been changed to firm following a dry Friday night.
Bolger said: "I think it is unfair that we didn't have proper Guineas ground. There was no need to have firm ground and he was leaning left all the time.
"He will come back here for the Irish Derby if the ground is good."
