RACING:SOME OF the world's most powerful bloodstock teams have tasted Group One glory at the Curragh in 2012, but none enjoyed their success more than Co Tipperary dairy farmer John Grogan who tasted HQ success yesterday with Katla's dramatic return to form.
The story of how Grogan trains just the one home-bred horse from his farm near Cashel has become quite well known since the filly he couldn’t sell first burst on to the black-type scene at York in 2010.
Another Listed success came in 2011 and yesterday Katla brought up the hat-trick with a one length defeat of the odds-on Maarek in the Waterford Testimonial Stakes that brought her career earnings to date to more than €200,000.
That’s a significant return on a horse for which no auction house would attempt a sale as a yearling. Moreover, Katla is far from finished, with a further couple of Listed options on the horizon at Dundalk and Doncaster.
“The weather has been so bad and it was only that I managed to get two bits of work into her on the grass at Tommy Stack’s. That’s the only thing I can put it down to, the grass,” said Grogan, who trains near Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle base. “She’s come back, but it’s hard on the heart!”
Maarek’s jockey, Joseph O’Brien, who was handed a three-day ban for use of the whip, extended his lead over Pat Smullen in the jockeys championship to five (82-77) with Magician’s odds-on in the juvenile maiden. “He’s a lovely colt, and a hardy one who’s only getting it together,” said Aidan O’Brien, who didn’t rule out another run this season. “He didn’t like the ground but it was loose which helped.”
Ground conditions were extremely heavy, as they are likely to be for tomorrow’s final Curragh meeting of 2012, and Ballydoyle favourite Hanky Panky didn’t look happy on it when managing only fourth to Seolan in the Staffordstown Stud Stakes. The winner was bought by Grangecon Stud after winning for Paul Deegan on her Listowel debut and new trainer Patrick Prendergast had been confident of her ability to act on the going. “I would have cried if they’d called it off!” he joked. “Paul did a great job. She arrived healthy and I didn’t manage to feck her up.”
Deegan wasn’t long securing his own Listed success as jockey Chris Hayes also teamed up with Midnight Soprano to hold off Minsk by a neck in the Irish Field Finale Stakes. A Group Three in France in a few weeks time is the next target.
The two-mile Hacketts Cesarewitch should have been a grueller on the ground, and it was for everything bar favourite Voleuse De Coeurs who won by 10 lengths. “We thought she’d win . . . She’ll stay in training next year and hopefully get some black type,” said Trainer Dermot Weld’s son, Kris.
Kerry born jockey Gearóid Brouder (17) won on his first racecourse start when Madeira Girl landed the apprentice handicap.
