RACING NEWS ROUND-UP:DESPITE AN injury setback the Carlton House team are confident their Epsom Derby favourite will make Saturday's big race but the news inevitably resulted in the horse drifting in ante-post betting.
Carlton House had to have X-rays yesterday on filling in a near-fore joint but hopes appear to be rising it is just a strain rather than anything more serious.
There is intense focus on the Queen’s runner and her spokesman, John Warren, said yesterday: “At evening stables on Monday night Michael (Stoute) noted that the colt’s front joints were not a pair and this morning he decided to take a precautionary X-ray of his near-fore joint which was the one that was marginally filled. It revealed no abnormalities which was a huge relief.
“He decided to give the horse just a trotting exercise this morning and he was sound and he’s having an easy day. It will be a watching brief from now on. A small potential strain is the probability of what it was, just tweaked it a little, and hopefully he’ll resume regular exercise for the rest of the week which will only involve cantering rather than anything faster.
“I would say at this point, from what I understand the injury to be, he has a pretty good chance of being there. The next few days will obviously reveal a little more but the trainer is optimistic and hopeful that the horse is still on target.”
Johnny Murtagh will bid for a fourth Derby victory on Native Khan and the Craven winner pleased trainer Ed Dunlop in a final piece of work yesterday.
“Getting Johnny is a real coup. He has already won the race on Sinndar, High Chaparral and Motivator, and he is a world-class jockey with a fantastic record around Epsom,” Dunlop said. “He finished third on Ouija Board in the 2004 Arc so we know him well, and I am sure he will do a great job for us.”
Murtagh is in action at Tipperary this evening where he can score on two of his four booked rides. Zabarajad, just over nine lengths off Roderic O’Connor in the Irish Guineas, and beaten just a head by Imperial Rome in the Tetrarch Stakes, is impossible to oppose in the maiden (7f).
Murtagh also teams up with John Oxx for Missy O’Gwaun in the maiden (1m 4f) and the filly’s run behind Regent Street last season at Dundalk reads pretty well in this company.
Bondage was an impressive four-length winner over Lucky Spring at Ballinrobe on Monday night and a 5lb penalty shouldn’t prevent Gordon Elliott’s runner following up in the mile-and-a-half handicap. Geraldines Lass scored well at Navan on Saturday and can make the most of just a 5lb penalty in the sprint handicap.
