Daniel King hoping for 'bit of luck' in Kerry National bid
PAIR OF KINGS: Majestic King and Daniel King win The GAIN The Advantage Series Handicap for trainer Denis Hogan at Listowel. Pic: Healy Racing Photo
Having claimed one stunning double over the summer, jockey Daniel King is hoping to complete another in the Grade Three Guinness Kerry National at Listowel on Wednesday.
In July, King became the first jockey since Joe Byrne in 1984 to win the Galway Plate and the Galway Hurdle in the same year.
On Wednesday, King Alexander, the horse who gave him the first leg of that Ballybrit brace, will bid to become the first horse since Life Of A Lord in 1995 to win the Galway Plate and the Kerry National in the same year.
As a consequence, it’s no surprise that Cork jockey King can’t wait to be reunited with a horse who has already given him one of the best days of his fledgling career.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” King says. “I was delighted when declarations came out to see my name beside him and hopefully he’ll run a big race. You need a lot of luck in a big handicap so hopefully we’ll have a bit of luck on our side and hopefully he runs a good race.
“The way he won in Galway was a very good performance. The fences around here [Listowel] take a lot of jumping and, touch wood, the way he jumped in Galway, he jumped very well and hopefully that will be an asset he has here as well.”
Wednesday’s assignment does represent a step up in trip but any concerns in that department is offset by the make-up of the track at Listowel.
“It’s a nice flat track whereas at Galway you’re climbing from the back of the last, two furlongs or more. It’s a nice flat track here so I don’t see why the step up in trip should be a problem,” King says.
The well-fancied King Alexander is one six Willie Mullins-trained runners in the Listowel feature but the champion trainer is not the only handler mob-handed.
Four of the 18 runners are trained in Limerick by Eric McNamara, a three-time winner of this race courtesy of Ponmeoath (2007 and 2008) and Faltering Fullback in 2012.
“It’s been a very lucky race for us, we’ve won it three times, but we’d like another one, we’re all greedy by nature and I’d love to win another one,” McNamara says.
“We’ve four shots tomorrow, I don’t think I’ve ever had four runners in any race to be honest, but the four are headed by French Dynamite who will love the good ground. We have a very, very good 7lb claimer in Joey Dunne because he has top weight of 11-12 so I’m really looking forward to him.
“Then we have three others who I would like to see an ease in the ground for but they’re all going to run. Look To The West, she’s after coming out of Henry de Bromhead’s, she’s a very nice mare, I think she’ll run well.
“We have a horse called Doctor Ken that I bought out of Olly Murphy’s earlier on in the year, a gorgeous big horse, Mark Walsh rides and I’m expecting a big run from him, he’s working very well.
“And then we have Weveallbeencaught who is probably the one horse in the race who would want soft ground. Sean Flanagan rides him. We’ve four shots at it and if I was to put my neck on the line I’d have to go for French Dynamite to be the best of them.”
Previously trained by Mouse Morris, French Dynamite ran a fine race to finish third in this race on his stable debut last year and McNamara is hoping a recent outing over hurdles ahead of this year’s renewal will have taken any excessive freshness out of him.
“Last year was his first run for me and he was too fresh. He was tugging all the way and just ran a bit keen so this year we decided to do things a bit different and he ran in Galway a fortnight ago in a hurdle race and ran a nice race to finish fourth. His preparation has been good so I’m looking forward to running him.”
