Blog

A busy weekend for us with 7 intended runners. Tomorrow we have 5 heading to Limerick. Lucky it’s Limerick, 4 is our max but we’re close enough to go back for the last fella. Alans Pride is first. He has a good record at Limerick over this trip. He has finished 2nd and 1st in his 2 runs albeit at a much lower level. He’s in terrific form. I thought his Leopardstown run from stall 15 was a belting effort. He attempted to follow a crazy gallop and only faded late on. Slight caveat with this fella. He had a shoe off and an abscess released this afternoon, from a front foot. He didn’t miss any exercise and he’s poulticed overnight to draw out the infection. They can go from very miserable to very happy, very quickly and if he takes a shoe in the morning and is perfectly sound he will run. If not we’ll wait. Khabaray next and we introduce our secret weapon in this race. Rory King is Connor’s younger brother and he received his apprentice license Tuesday last. A first for both of us, I’m probably not quite as excited as him or Dan, his little brother, but I’m really looking forward to it. Rory is a composed young man, rides well and is quietly burning with ambitions to be the next big thing. He has had 3 or 400 rides pony racing with close to 50 winners. I was giving out yards about Khabaray recently when it dawned on me he can be there for Rory and to help sort through the unraced youngsters. Ultimately he’s a disappointing horse but he’ll prove invaluable this summer. There was a few weeks April end, early May when he was working well and I was really looking forward to his first run this season. He started to disappoint thereafter and ran better than I ( not the market) expected at Leopardstown. If he stepped forward he could run well. He’s slightly awkward in that he jumps slowly and if you set him alight to catch up he can do too much. Rory can concentrate on having a nice smooth passage, weave his way to challenge and if it happens it happens. If not, there’ll be loads more days. Beach Bar returns after April on the easy list. He has plenty done but should need it. He’s older and with his attritive runstyle needs to be hard fit to perform especially off a mark of 94. He blasts through his full routine everyday and is very happy doing it but I can see the burn setting in late on tomorrow. Captain Cat ran inexplicably poorly last Saturday and without a reason for his deplorable effort he can go again. He came back last Saturday very pleased with himself. He’s eating and moving well since and I couldn’t see any reason to cod myself in to thinking I’ll have him better in a few weeks time. If he bombs I won’t have any insights and he’ll have a break and see if that reinvigorates him. I’m not hoping for Roger Charlton form with this fella, his Tony Carroll form would have him competitive here. Azzuri last and Oisin Orr rides. His first run was good in a peculiar race. Fingers crossed he steps forward. He’s a big ol’ unit and an extended 11 furlongs is sharp enough for him. Cork on Sunday is next and we run Indian Eye first. She’s not with me long, she came with a good bit done. She does things a little upside down. She pulls too hard early in her work and doesn’t finish out as well as she could. Her owner and I felt she’d be better getting started and learn that unless she conserves she has no chance. Alcatraz to wrap up the weekend. What a terrific horse he is. I has so much bull about this lad all year. He was going to do this, that and the other. I admitted defeat last Monday after Gowran, encouraged the owners towards an exit strategy and he does that Saturday. Depending on who shows up Sunday, anything could happen. No point in me having an opinion. One man who will enjoy teasing him into contention ( if he’s going) will be Chris Hayes. He seemed to get a good kick out of getting him to win and rightly so. He was terrific on him. It’s lovely to see these guys going well. Chris, Billy, Shane, Wayne, Gary, we’re seriously lucky to have them to call on.