Racing Weekend previewThe 2004 Irish Flat racing season started at the Curragh three weeks ago, although to examine the composition of the racing laid on in the eight days Wednesday to Wednesday spanning Easter would lead you to believe that there was some sort of a conspiracy to downgrade the flat and to make a flat trainer's job that much more difficult.
The nine-race meetings in question do not include a single dedicated flat fixture and Curragh-based trainers and jockeys have to make a choice between going south to Cork or north to Down Royal.
If they adopt the latter choice, they will have to leave the bulk of the stable at home as there are no flat races at The Maze longer than five furlongs. Now even the most embedded speed enthusiast will feel that this is overdoing things.
One trainer who may, however, disagree with that diagnosis is Ger Lyons who can win both two-year-old races over the weekend. At 1.30 this afternoon his Shamoan can step up a place on his Curragh second to Russian Blue, the winner being the last lifetimer victor in Ireland for the much lamented Robert Sangster.
The form of that Curragh race was already advertised when L'Altro Mondo who finished fourth was successful last Sunday in upsetting a 1 to 5 favourite Lord Nelson. A quarter of an hour later Sharp Destiny could provide the second leg of the Lyons double.
Lady Portia who goes for the Mallow Handicap would herself have been a six-length winner at the Curragh last weekend but for the intervention of Majestic Times who won by two lengths.
Dermot Weld has always been one of those prepared to travel the length and breadth not merely of Ireland but of the globe. He sends Rinkie Dinkie Doon to Down Royal for the Irish Conservation Handicap and this gelding displayed plenty of pace at Bellewstown last summer when beating Fairy Pass by a length over five furlongs.
Fifteen minutes later the stable will be in action in the Fermoy Handicap with Forty Grand who has had an outing and who on his second run at two defeated Rock Of Cashel in a Listowel photo finish.
The most valuable flat race over Easter is the Irish Stallions Farms Fillies Race at Cork tomorrow and while Weld and Oxx both have runners this could be within the compass of Blue Reema who made a good race of it at the Curragh with Alexander Goldrun.
Charles O'Brien has started off with an eary winner and his Danehill colt Kings Orders comes from the same family as Grise Mine. He had his second and last outing at Leopardstown in November and finished fourth to Offenbach. He can open his account in the Mitchelstown Maiden.
