THE LAST few days of the build-up to the first Classic of 2009 have been dominated by Rip Van Winkle’s foot problem – and Johnny Murtagh’s decision to ride him anyway – but an under-the-radar build-up will have suited everyone connected with Sea The Stars who can carry off today’s Stan James 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Low key is a phrase that could have been invented for Curragh trainer John Oxx whose decision to run Sea The Stars is something of a tip in itself ahead of a race in which only eight of the 17 runners have had a run this season.
They include the main home hope Delegator who was impressive in the Craven Stakes but the four Irish-trained hopes today are all running for the first time this season. That has been the pattern with all five of Aidan O’Brien’s Guineas winners to date while Jim Bolger brought New Approach to Newmarket without a prep last year and he only failed by a nose to beat Henrythenavigator.
Bolger sprang something of a surprise on Thursday when electing to run Gan Amhras instead of Intense Focus while Murtagh’s decision to stick with Rip Van Winkle instead of the second Ballydoyle hope Mastercraftsman propelled the Galileo colt to the top of the betting.
With no evidence of how these horses have trained on, though, the Guineas has turned into something of a shot in the dark but it is encouraging that Oxx allows Sea The Stars, a half-brother to Galileo, take his chance.
The ground has turned too fast for another Oxx colt Aarazan but the Curragh trainer said yesterday: “Sea The Stars will enjoy good fast ground. We are not sure what trip is best for him we think he is good enough to run really well at a mile.”
Oxx doesn’t run horses in the Guineas for no reason – his only previous 2,000 starter, Azamour, finished third in 2004 – and Mick Kinane knows exactly what is required, having won it three times to date on Tirol (1990), Entrepreneur (1997) and King Of Kings (1998).
Murtagh has decided to stick with the Breeders’ Cup runner-up Heart Shaped in tomorrow’s fillies Classic rather than team up with either of the David Wachman pair, Again or Pursuit Of Glory.
The latter could go well at a big price, but if there is each-way value among the five-strong Irish challenge to the hot favourite Rainbow View it could be Kevin Prendergast’s Shimah.
Runner-up to Again in last year’s Moyglare, Shimah is bred to relish fast ground conditions and has been impressing her veteran trainer in recent workouts.
In contrast there have been somewhat missed reports about some of Rainbow View’s work.
Pat Smullen teams up with Mastercraftsman in today’s Guineas but he also rides last year’s English and Irish Derby third Casual Conquest for Dermot Weld in the Group Two Jockey Club Stakes.
The Irish runner could just edge out Spanish Moon who ran a fine race at the Dubai World Cup meeting in Nad Al Sheba.
Larry Jones is saddling top contender Friesan Fire in today’s Kentucky Derby yet still fields more questions about last year’s race.
Jones trained the champion filly Eight Belles, who finished second last year but broke both ankles while easing up and collapsed. Before a crowd of nearly 160,000, she was euthanised on the track.
In the following weeks, animal rights groups hammered Jones for a variety of reasons, including his choice to put the filly in a race with colts. Jones said he was not bitter about being vilified but has “figured out a lot about people over the last year”.
Jones has another classy horse in Louisiana Derby champion Friesan Fire. The Kentucky-bred son of AP Indy has four wins in seven career starts and comes into the race well-rested.
Favourite for the €1.66 million race is I Want Revenge, with Pioneer of the Nile at four to one. Pioneer of the Nile has faced tougher tasks in the past – when only a month old the Empire Maker colt was found stricken with a bout of colic by Irish apprentice Johnny Smith and his farm manager.
The foal was unable to walk and the two men had to carry him to a trailer to bring him to the vets.
“For a horse who was barely a month old at the time . . . to be able to go through that and to develop into a top-class two-year-old and now develop on the Derby trail is pretty remarkable,” farm manager Heiple said.
