Kinane reaching for the stars
Mick Kinane is relishing the chance of a third Derby win as 2000 Guineas hero Sea The Stars prepares for his date with destiny in the Investec-sponsored Classic at Epsom tomorrow.
The son of Cape Cross won twice from three starts as a juvenile, including a narrow victory from stablemate Mourayan and fellow Derby runner Masterofthehorse in the Beresford Stakes over a mile at the Curragh.
John Oxx let the colt make his seasonal reappearance in the Guineas at Newmarket and it proved another masterstroke by the Currabeg handler as he simply powered clear of his rivals to score in most impressive fashion.
Given he showed such speed at Newmarket, there are one or two stamina questions as he bids to emulate Nashwan some 20 years ago and make it a Classic double over half a mile further on the Downs.
But Kinane is confident he has all the right attributes for the world’s most famous Flat race.
“His preparation has gone well so we’re looking forward to the race now,” said Kinane.
“If you have a raw two-year-old who can get a mile on slow ground around the Curragh, we were always very hopeful that middle distances would be well within his scope.
“We have always had a lot of faith in the horse and we always knew that going quick was easy to him.
“With his pedigree, we always wanted to let him take his chance over a Guineas trip as we thought if he could do it there, it makes him a very, very good horse.
“He has always shown us plenty so we were always hopeful he could be a Derby horse. He has a nice easy going nature, is a long-striding horse so we were always hoping we could aim him here and hope he could get it (the trip).”
Kinane has won the Derby twice before, on Commander In Chief in 1993 and Galileo in 2001, and there are obvious similarities between Sea The Stars and the latter horse in particular.
“He’s very like Galileo anyway as he is his half-brother. I hope he is exactly like him!” the jockey continued.
“With Epsom you never know if they will handle the track until you try as it is very unique, but I would be very hopeful he has the pace to travel round there.
“Again you never know with the trip either. There could be a fellow there with a brick wall in the dip – we just haven’t seen him yet.
“I can’t ride him to get the trip as I can’t make him get the trip. Wherever he can be in a nice rhythm, that’s where I’ll be.
“I wouldn’t swap my horse for any other anyway.”
Brian Meehan believes Crowded House is back to his very best as he bids to bounce back from a disappointing display in the Dante Stakes at York.
A runaway success in last season’s Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster ensured he occupied top spot in the ante-post market for Epsom over the winter, but he ran no sort of race when sent off favourite for his comeback.
The son of Rainbow Quest scoped dirty after the race and while his Derby participation was a slight doubt in the immediate aftermath, his recent work has led Meehan to believe it is far too early to write him off.
“There were a couple of little things with his run in the Dante, mainly the dirty scope after the race and maybe he was at the tail-end of some of that,” said Meehan.
“But for the last two weeks, everything has gone very well. Since Christmas he has only missed a week and unfortunately that happened to be after the Dante.
“The fact that he missed that week at a vital time, it’s something that you think about but certainly the last fortnight everything has gone right and this week in particular, he really seems in tremendous form.
“We wouldn’t be running him if we didn’t think he had a a chance and we could have taken the easier option and gone to France.
“On paper the French Derby looks open and easier contest, it may not turn out to be that way, but we could easily have gone there instead.”
