Hi all,

Inside today’s main piece. I look back at events on Irish Derby Day. Plus, there’s three future winners from Irish Derby Weekend at the Curragh.

Pontefract’s embarrassing track bias

It was equine bingo at Pontefract on Monday with an utterly absurd track bias and on good to firm ground.

If you had put your bets on before racing, you had no chance unless you know the jockeys were going come stands rail. Something that only happens on testing ground.

They had been watering at Pontefract and clearly the windy weather had made watering difficult. God knows how much water they must have put on the normally favoured far side give the jockey’s wanted to avoid it all day.

In the final race they didn't even slingshot across off the bend towards the far rail they went to the outside rail from the off. I'm not sure I have seen that happen even on heavy ground.

Yesterday’s selection Corinthia Knight drawn in stall 1 might as well have stayed in his box. If you backed him before racing as many Hugh Taylor followers will have, you knew you had zero chance of collecting.

The winner of the race Gannon Glory was drawn in stall 16 and normally over 6f, on a sound surface would have been the first struck off your list.

A ridiculous situation and an embarrassment for one of my favourite racecourses.

Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day

Prior to Sunday’s Irish Derby Ryan Moore had never ridden the winner of Ireland’s premier flat race.  I know hard to believe given the ammunition that’s the world’s number one jockey has had at his disposal. Well, he gained his first success in the race on Sunday, and I suspect it won’t be his last.

Workmanlike Rodin wins unsatisfactory Irish Derby

This year’s race a purely Irish affair was expected to be a coronation for Derby winner Auguste Rodin and so it proved. However, the colt was more workmanlike than he had been when winning at Epsom.

They went steady up front. Ryan Moore had the winner in a good position behind his stablemates Adelaide River & San Antonio. The first named was headed by the winner 2f but to his credit he rallied and gave his stablemate a bit of a scare before finishing second. You have to say that the jockey on the runner-up wasn’t exactly hard on his mount.  

White Birch third and Sprewell fourth at Epsom never got competitive and ran poorly. The former got off on terms this time. However, his hold up style was never going to work given the way the track was riding.

The early pace didn’t really play to the winners strengths so it would be wise to judge him on his Epsom performance rather than this one. 

Can he win a Group 1 in open company over 1m 2f? Well, he’ll need a strongly run race to do so.

Sadly, the race was marred by a fatal injury to San Antonio. The colt had been travelling well as Auguste Rodin when he broke down. The sight of San Antonio trying to keep galloping with a broken leg wasn’t something we wanted to see.

Fragile horses threaten the future of the sport

Imagine trying to walk on all fours using just your big toes and your middle fingers. That is what modern racehorses must endure when racing at 30 mph. Not surprisingly one misstep on a soft patch of the turf can cause a serious injury.

A century ago, people bred horses to race them, and they had a stake in the animals’ soundness. By contrast, modern commercial breeders produce horses to sell them, and if those horses are unsound, they become somebody else’s problem. Because buyers want horses with speed, breeders have filled the thoroughbred species with the genes of fast but unsound horses.

By breeding for speed and precocity, other important traits such as durability and soundness are being lost from the thoroughbred.

San Antonio’s fatal injury in the Irish Derby will be put down as one occurring on good to firm ground. It will probably increase the calls to water to produce ‘safe’ ground.  That would be an error. You can water as much as you like but they won’t stop these fatalities which are I believe down more to the soundness of the racehorse.

Don’t expect the racing media to get involved in this story though. There’s too much advertising revenue from the bloodstock industry at stake.

I fear this is something that will only get worse without intervention from those who run the sport. Whilst they obsess about the whip. There’s a bigger elephant in the room and one that really threatens the future of the sport.

River Tiber's Coventry win gets major form boost

Earlier on the card Bucanero Fuerte rallied to beat Unquestionable on the line in the Group 2 Railway Stakes. The winner was a bit more battle hardened than the runner-up when it mattered. The big surprise was that the winner who was third in the Coventry Stakes was returned 100/30. The winner paid a compliment to River Tiber who beat him at Royal Ascot. Like the Albany Stakes, the Coventry Stakes form is looking decent.

Top rated Commanche Falls won the Listed Dash Stakes. Twilight Jet set a strong pace which suited the winner. Once he hit the front the winner found generously for pressure and was well on top at the line. He could bid for a hat trick of wins in the Goodwood Stewards Cup, but trainer Michael Dods is likely to return the 6-year-old to Group company.

Curragh Future Winners:

Given it was hard to win from behind at the Curragh so it’s worth marking up any horses that came from off the pace.

Imposing Supreme – Thomas Gibney

Dropping down the handicap and seems to be slowly finding his form. The 7-year-old did best of those coming from off the pace when a 5 ¼ length 6th of 22 to Kodiac Prince at the Curragh on Friday evening.  Now 6lb below his last winning mark I suspect expect connections will be aiming him at Galway Festival where he won twice in 2021. His form figures at Galway are 11130 and he’ll go to this year’s festival a well handicapped horse.

Lord Vader – Emmet Mullins

Lord Vader looked a future handicap winner when finishing a 1 ¾ length 4^th of 16 at Limerick two starts back. The 4-year-old created another a good impression when finishing a 5 /14 length 4^th of 15 to Alanya in the Ladies Derby (Handicap) on Saturday. Stepped up to 1m 2f for the first he was ridden to get the trip but was doing his best work at the finish. He proved he stays and will surely be placed to winning advantage by his shrewd trainer.  In the same race it may also pay to keep the third home Jungle Cove onside. He’s seemingly working his way back to winning form.

Silmaniya – Johnny Murtagh

Silmaniya ran well in the first time cheekpieces when a 1 ¼ length 6^th of 16 in the Rockingham Handicap (5f). Slowly away, the 3-year-old did best of those held up and is clearly well suited to a well-run race. A winner at Navan last September she’s only had one start at 6f but looks worth another try at that distance. She can win a sprint handicap before the season is out.  

Tuesday Preview

The low key start to the week continues with the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Lenebane Stakes (7:50) at Roscommon the best race on offer. Ryan Moore fresh from a first Irish Derby success has his first ride at the track on Espionage in the feature.  

Roscommon

7:50 – Espionage a useful juvenile who finished a head second in a Group 1 at Saint-Cloud at the end of last season makes his belated seasonal reappearance. It looks a good race for his return and the 3-year-old is the one to beat.

He does face several interesting rivals though.

Serious Challenge finished a length 3^rd of 11 in a Limerick Listed contest 11 days ago and shouldn’t be far away.

Angels Wrath ran Al Husn to ½ length in a Listed race at Ayr last time. The winner won a Group 3 at Newcastle on Friday. The step up to 1m 2f suited the filly at Ayr and if she stays today’s extra 1 ½ f should be in the mix.

Vega Magnifico posted a career best on RPR’s when a 1 ¼ length 3^rd of 7 in a Listed race at Leopardstown last month. Had the run of the race out in front that day but should remain competitive.

Jackfinbar returns from a mammoth 1459 day absence on debut for Willie Mullins. Well being has to be taken on trust but from that yard can’t be totally dismissed.

The biggest rival to Espionage could be Kingswood. The 3-year-old won a Cork maiden on seasonal return. And he wasn’t disgraced when a ½ length 3^rd of 6 to Espionage’s stablemate Drumroll in a Group 3 (1m 2f) at the Curragh 37 days ago. Today’s longer trip should suit on pedigree and he’s open to further progress.

Espionage is the one to beat and could be better than Listed class as 3-year-old. The improving Kingswood has race fitness on his side and looks the favourites biggest rival.

Hamilton

The best of the action this side of the Irish Sea is a Class 2 handicap at Hamilton (3:17). The extended mile handicap has £30,000 in guaranteed prize money has attracted just six runners.

3:17 – Fantastic Fox was a solid enough 2 lengths 5^th of 12 to Austrian Theory at Epsom last time. However, that’s a track he goes well at, and his finishing effort was disappointing. Now 2lb below his last winning mark and needs the first time cheekpieces to have the desired effect. Yard is 7-15 here in the past five years.

Austrian Theory got the run of the race out in front when winning at Epsom two starts back but didn’t when disappointing at Beverley last time. Might prefer quicker ground albeit he should get an uncontested lead once more.

Early bird favourite Eilean Dubh surely wants better ground than good to soft. He’s a previous C&D winner but can be opposed on good to soft or worse. He was ¾ length behind Maysong at Sandown last time and gets a 2lb pull in the weights here. Maysong is proven on rain softened ground and should be able to confirm form with Eilean Dubh on an easier surface.

Only six runners but a tricky race where there are negatives with all the fancied contenders. If the there's a lack of pace Fantastic Fox is likely to be better positioned than some of his rivals. He's tricky to win with but first time headgear might enable him to get his head in front for the first time in nearly two years.

Tuesday Selection:

Roscommon

7:50 – Kingswood.

Good luck with your Tuesday bets.

John