A Boy Named Susie likely for Sandown rather than Curragh
NEARLY BUT NOT QUITE: A Boy Named Susie, right, has twice run Derby hero Christmas Day close but is unlikely to clash with him again this weekend. Picture: Healy Racing
A Boy Named Susie looks set to sidestep the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday and instead target the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday week.
Just a length behind subsequent Derby hero Christmas Day in the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown on his three-year-old debut, Donnacha O’Brien’s charge then made late headway to finish fourth in a Prix du Jockey Club dominated by his father Aidan, with Constitution River leading home a Ballydoyle one-two-three.
Despite the option of a second Classic bid for A Boy Named Susie this weekend, O’Brien is leaning towards keeping his powder dry for Sandown’s midsummer highlight with a colt who is owned by his sister, Ana O’Brien.
“It’s looking like he’s going to go to the Eclipse. That’s what I have in my head at the minute and it’s kind of where I was leaning towards all along,” the trainer told the .
“We left him in the Irish Derby in all the stages as well, just in case you changed your mind, but I’d say it’s probably a 75% chance he goes to the Eclipse.”
A Boy Named Susie would be tackling a mile and a half for the first time if he were to contest the Irish Derby and O’Brien admits to having stamina doubts.
He added: “It’s hard to know really — I think it (mile and a half) is within his range. There’s not much stamina in his pedigree, it’s a Montjeu mare but all the rest of the dam’s side is very fast and Starspangledbanner (sire) horses can stay, but whether they stay a mile and a half or not I’m not sure.
“He works like a fast horse, he’s just maybe lacking a little bit of tactical pace at the minute, which I think will get better as he gets older. But throughout the race he’s able to quicken and he doesn’t run like a slow horse.
“He can be a little bit of a funny ride — if you put him into gear it can be hard to get him out of it, so we kind of have to ride him quiet for the first few furlongs, otherwise he can run a little bit keen.
“I think a smaller field makes it easier for him and the jockeys and he’s still a bit of a baby. He’s a big, tall, immature horse so I think all that will start to come together as he gets older.
“He still looks a bit unfurnished physically and I think he’s going to be better again next year. We’ve always held him in very high regard and we think he’s a Group 1 horse.”
