Irish racing's ruling body, Horse Racing Ireland, got an unexpected €400,000 windfall yesterday when four horses were supplemented into Sunday's Budweiser Irish Derby at a cost of €100,000 each. Brian O'Connor, Racing Correspondent, reports.
As expected, both the French Derby winner Darsi and the Epsom Derby runner-up Dragon Dancer were added to the field but the list of possible runners was boosted to 16 by the surprise supplementary entries of the Italian Derby winner Gentlewave and the David Wachman-trained Cougar Bay.
Gentlewave will attempt to give the champion French trainer Andre Fabre a third Irish Derby success after Winged Love in 1995 and Hurricane Run last year. But Cougar Bay's Galway owner, Joe Joyce, has taken a major gamble on his horse securing a significant slice of the €1.5 million prize-fund for Ireland's richest race.
Cougar Bay only won his maiden at Leopardstown three weeks ago and was beaten by Heliostatic on his last start but despite being dismissed by the bookmakers as a 50 to 1 shot, trainer Wachman is hopeful of a decent run. "We've always felt he's a nice horse and my three year olds were under the weather in the spring. He has improved since his run at the Curragh. It's a lot of money but we feel it warrants him taking his chance," Wachman said yesterday.
Racing's ruling body, HRI, certainly weren't complaining and the Curragh manager Paul Hensey explained: "The €400,000 will go into the surplus fund at HRI to shore up the guaranteed prize fund for other races."
After Darsi's expected addition to the race, the Aga Khan's colt is a general 3 to 1 favourite with the bookmakers to provide the owner with a record sixth Irish Derby success.
There was also support yesterday for Gentlewave, a four-length winner of the Derby Italiano in Rome a month ago, and the Gary Tanaka-owned horse is as low as 5 to 1 to bring off a historic Derby double of his own.
The home defence will be led by Aidan O'Brien who will attempt to secure a fourth Irish Derby with three runners despite having left five in the race at yesterday's forfeit stage.
"Puerto Rico, Dylan Thomas and Mountain are strong probable for the race. I think they will be our three. Kieren (Fallon), Séamus (Heffernan) and Colm (O'Donoghue) will ride them but I'm not sure yet who will be on what," said the Ballydoyle trainer.
"Dylan Thomas has been fine since Epsom even though he hasn't done a lot. The ground shouldn't be a problem for any of them," O'Brien added.
Kieren Fallon has been cleared to ride at the Curragh this weekend after successfully applying to transfer part of the four-day ban he picked up at Royal Ascot last week.
Coolmore Stud could also have another interest in the race with last week's King Edward VII Stakes winner Papal Bull also significantly left in the race by his trainer Michael Stoute.
Stoute, a three-time Irish Derby winner, completed the King Edward VII-Derby double in 1983 with Shareef Dancer and Cashmans yesterday made Papal Bull a 5 to 1 chance "with a run" for Sunday's classic. Stoute's other entry Best Alibi, sixth at Epsom, is an intended runner.
The ground on the Derby course yesterday was officially "good" after watering and the straight track is expected to be in a similar condition by today.
Sunday's main support race, the Group Two Railway Stakes, also has 16 entries and they include Tommy Stack's unbeaten Drayton as well as a trio of Ballydoyle hopes that include the Royal Ascot flop, Holy Roman Emperor.
The impressive National Stakes winner Excellent Art from the Neville Callaghan stable is one of six cross-channel entries.
Red Bloom has been confirmed a runner in Saturday's Audi Pretty Polly Stakes as she tries to go one better than last year's second to Alexander Goldrun.
"She ran a blinder in last year's race behind one of the best fillies around at the trip. Unfortunately she is around again but Sir Michael Stoute is very pleased with her," said the Cheveley Park Stud spokesman Chris Richardson. "If the ground is suitable I would expect a good performance. It's a tough race but it is a Group One."
Sunday's King Of Beers Stakes could see a clash between the top Irish sprinter Osterhase and the Kings Stand Stakes runner-up Benbaun from the Malcolm Wallace stable.
CASHMANS IRISH DERBY BETTING: 7-2 Darsi, 4 Dylan Thomas, 9-2 Best Name, 6 Best Alibi and Puerto Rico, 7 Dragon Dancer and Gentlewave 16 Mountain, 20 Classic Punch and Heliostatic, 33 Road To Mandalay, 50 Cougar Bay, 200 Bar.
