RACING CURRAGH REPORT:CHAMPION JOCKEY Pat Smullen reached the 80-winner mark for the season at the Curragh yesterday when Noel Meade's Silverhand delivered a beating to some of flat racing's elite.
Silverhand faced six runners from Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle yard alone, and four from John Oxx’s powerful stable, but the versatile five-year-old ultimately proved too good for the gambled on Trojan War in the Finale Stakes.
Smullen pounced late on the dual-purpose performer to win by two lengths and emphasise the changing of the racing seasons, as well as Meade’s current good form.
The former champion jumps trainer hasn’t ruled out sending Silverhand back over flights this winter with Cheltenham’s Coral Cup a possible target.
However, a trip to Newmarket later in the month may be a more immediate option.
“He has been improving all the time and is in such great heart at the moment. He is very adaptable ground wise and we could well take him for a race at Newmarket,” Meade said.
“He seems to be enjoying the flat more than jumping and he has a real good Aga Khan pedigree,” he added, before reporting that his Grade One hurdler Harchibald could debut over fences at Punchestown on Thursday.
“Two things are worrying me. One is Henry De Bromhead (who could run Sizing Europe) and the other is the two miles and two furlongs. But Harchibald is in good form and he is ready for a run,” he said.
Smullen had earlier also scored in the opening juvenile maiden on board Bygone Age who short-headed the odds-on favourite Bass Rock in a good finish.
That was an 11th winner at headquarters this year for Bygone Age’s trainer Dermot Weld, who on Friday night launched his first book – Vintage Crop – the story of his historic 1993 Melbourne Cup triumph.
“He battled well and it was a good strong ride from the pilot,” Weld said.
“The Birdcatcher next Sunday could be a race for him.”
Johnny Murtagh kept to three the gap to Smullen in this year’s title race to three as Lady Lupus bounced out of a maiden defeat at Navan during the week to break her duck in the Listed Lanwades Studs Stakes.
The Ballydoyle runner raced very green throughout and briefly looked beaten early in the straight. However, she battled well to beat Atasari by three parts of a length.
“She was very green and idle and Johnny was brilliant on her. It was a little unfair running her again so quickly, but she should be a good staying filly next year,” O’Brien said.
The champion flat trainer also confirmed yesterday that the Irish Derby winner Fame And Glory will take part in Saturday’s Emirates Champion Stakes at Newmarket.
“He has come out of the Arc well and we are looking forward to Saturday with him. We could run something else, maybe Set Sail, in the race as well,” said O’Brien, who will run both Steinbeck and Fencing Master in Saturday’s Dewhurst Stakes.
Rayeni successfully dropped back to six furlongs yesterday in the Waterford Testimonial Stakes and may now go back up to seven furlongs for the Group Three Knockaire Stakes at Leopardstown.
“Six is his minimum and he was only getting going towards the end. He wasn’t fully wound up in his last race and had been working better on the run up to today,” said John Oxx.
“He goes well on slow ground and he could stay in training next year. There are no plans to sell him,” the trainer added.
Key Decision successfully made the trip from Shaun Harley’s Co Donegal yard in the apprentice handicap under Padraig Beggy, but it was the locally-trained Celtic Soprano who got home ahead in the mile and six handicap, paying a generous 43 to 1 on the Tote in the process.
The 6 to 4 favourite Noll Wallop was all out to hold Is Feidir Linn by a short head in the concluding mile maiden, but trainer Tommy Stack was inclined to blame the soft ground.
“It wasn’t in his favour but he should be a nice horse for next year.
“I don’t know if he will run again this season as the ground is going for him,” he said.
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