RACING:CHAMPION apprentice Gary Carroll can maintain his challenge to retain the title at Navan this afternoon when he teams up with champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins for Wee Giant in the final handicap, writes Brian O'Connor.
Carroll and Mullins memorably combined to win last year’s Ebor at York with Sesanta and Wee Giant is another dual-purpose performer that can pay off for them. The four-year-old finished runner-up to Alajan on the flat at the Galway Festival during the summer but looked a different proposition earlier this month at Downpatrick when impressively winning a maiden hurdle.
If he can translate that level of performance back to the level then he can be a major player in a race where Johnny Murtagh again teams up with Table Mountain, who was third at Naas on Sunday.
Ben Curtis can also strike in the opening apprentice handicap on board Zaralanta who has a first attempt at five furlongs in an attempt to add to a debut success last season. An end-of-season handicap is hardly what seemed on the cards for the Aga Khan’s filly last year but she did run That’s A Fret close on her last start at the Curragh.
Aidan O’Brien has dominated the mile juvenile maiden with the likes of Fame And Glory two years ago and Flying Cross last season and runs a massive team of six this time. Johnny Murtagh is on the Montjeu newcomer Recital while Colm O’Donoghue, winner of the Canadian International at the weekend, is on Moons Of Jupiter, a son of Galileo.
Murtagh looks a significant booking for Spontaneous in the other juvenile maiden considering Aidan O’Brien has declared two runners, but improvement can be expected from Alayir after her Curragh debut.
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