RACING: AIDAN O'BRIEN may be dominating the Classic scene right now but John Oxx will hope to gate-crash the Derby picture when Akeed Mofeed makes his eagerly-anticipated first start of the season at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Currently rated a 14 to 1 second favourite for the Epsom Derby behind O’Brien’s raging hot ante-post market leader, the Guineas winner Camelot, Akeed Mofeed was one of 14 entries left in for this weekend’s Group Two Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial.
Oxx also has a possible Derby contender in Call To Battle who will line up against the Ballydoyle colt David Livingston in tomorrow’s Chester Vase. But it is Akeed Mofeed who will be the focus of attention in what is traditionally Ireland’s most important blue-riband trial.
Oxx had to pull the plug on a possible Guineas attempt by the son of Dubawi due to an injury setback last month and the Curragh trainer reported yesterday: “He has missed some work so we will have to see. But he will run on Sunday.”
Runner-up to David Livingston in the Beresford Stakes on his last start, Akeed Mofeed won his maiden in impressive fashion at Leopardstown in September but has some impressive footsteps to follow in.
Oxx’s two previous Derrinstown winners are Sinndar (2000), who subsequently completed the Epsom-Curragh Derby double, and Alamshar (2003,) a slightly unlucky third at Epsom but famously the victor over Dalakhani at the Curragh afterwards.
Although star names like Fame And Glory and Dylan Thomas have won the race in recent times, it is 10 years since High Chaparral became the last Derrinstown winner to go on and triumph at Epsom.
His trainer, Aidan O’Brien, is pursuing a 10th win in the 10-furlong event on Sunday and has half of the entries for the race.
They include the wide-margin Dundalk maiden-winner Ernest Hemingway and the Breeders’ Cup-winner Wrote, who ran third to Daddy Long Legs in the UAE Derby in March.
Jim Bolger’s previous Derrinstown winners include St Jovite in 1992 and he is set to rely on the Ballysax winner Light Heavy. Ground conditions at Leopardstown yesterday were officially “soft”.
The much-anticipated return to action of Frankel later in the month will dominate the build-up to Newbury’s Lockinge Stakes but Paddy Power reckon Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle team will provide the world’s top-rated horse with his biggest challenge.
Powers rate Frankel a 4 to 9 shot for the Group One mile race, but Excelebration, who made a winning debut for O’Brien in the Gladness Stakes, is second best at 7 to 2 with the ex-Aussie star So You Think on 6 to 1.
There was a dramatic conclusion to the feature race at Punchestown last night, the Grade A Aon Handicap Chase, with the 7 to 4 favourite, Call The Police, crashing out at the last with the race at his mercy, forcing second favourite Foildubh to unseat in the process.
This left the Eddie Harty-trained Like Your Style to come through to gain a fortuitous victory under Mark Walsh.
Having won the first with Knocklong, winning owner JP McManus was recording a double.
Winning trainer Eddie Harty said afterwards: “You need a bit of luck every now and then. He was going to be a good third and I would have been delighted with that.
“He jumped well and Mark put him to sleep and he came into nicely. He was maybe done for toe coming down to the last. When he was left in front maybe he was there too long.
“He is the first horse I had for JP (McManus) after Captain Cee Bee and I always thought there was a good one in him someday. At least I get to lead the trainers’ championship for a day now!”
