NAVAN REPORT:NAVAN HAS rarely played host to as accomplished a flat race star as Fame And Glory, but Sea The Stars' old rival was far from impressive in landing 2 to 9 odds at the Meath track yesterday.
There was even a blast-from-the-past at the end of the Listed Vintage Crop Stakes, as it was only by a rapidly decreasing half a length that Fame And Glory held on from Nebula Storm, who carries the Sea The Stars colours of Christopher Tsui.
Aidan O’Brien’s Irish Derby hero could never get the better of Sea The Stars during a dramatic 2009, but struggling to beat Nebula Storm was not something to get many pulses racing. Still, some bookmakers cut the horse’s Ascot Gold Cup price to as low as 4 to 1 on the back of it.
“It’s his first start of the year so I wanted to save him. You’ve got to look at the big picture,” said Jamie Spencer who rides many horses for Dubai owner Fitri Hay in whose colours Fame And Glory now races. “What I liked was that he settled so well off a pace that was so messy.”
O’Brien was non-committal about a tilt at the Ascot Gold Cup and reminded: “Yeats got beat in that race.”
He added: “It’s not decided yet where he will go. He could go to the Curragh for the 10-furlong race (Mooresbridge Stakes), or the Coronation Cup at a mile-and-a-half, or the Savel Beg at a mile-and-three-quarters.
“His next race will decide what way he goes, but I’m happy with that. He’ll come on plenty for it.”
Jessica Harrington’s ever-increasing presence at the top end of the flat game was emphasised again when her filly Siren’s Song broke her maiden in style in the Listed Salsabil Stakes.
Harrington’s Newmarket Guineas team of Pathfork and Laughing Lashes remain on course for classic glory in less than a fortnight, and Siren’s Song earned quotes of as low as 20 to 1 for the Epsom Oaks after her defeat of Asheerah and Kirinda yesterday.
“I’d been getting a bit worried because we hadn’t had a winner on the flat, so I was starting to think it could be one of those nearly years,” the Moone-based trainer said. “But then we had a winner at Dundalk on Friday night.
“This filly is in the English and Irish Oaks, and Fran (Berry) believes she will be better at a mile-and-a-half. She’s such a light mover she’ll go on faster ground too,” she added.
David Wachman’s fear that Fire Lily was coming into season at just the wrong time ahead of her debut in the five-furlong maiden made no difference to the result as she pounced between An Ghalanta and Danziger to win impressively.
“She’s a grand filly and will improve a lot for that,” the Tipperary trainer said.
Jim McCabe’s isn’t one of the bigger Curragh yards, but he produced Lechevalier Choisi to easily land the five-furlong maiden.
“He will be a good sprinter and I don’t know what the handicapper might do but we might try a Listed race,” McCabe said.
Fethard-based trainer David Nagle saddled the second winner of his career with Maarek in the five-furlong handicap and it helped Fire Lily’s jockey, Wayne Lordan, to a double on the day.
John Oxx saddled a one-two in the concluding maiden as the heavy odds-on favourite Zanughan had a length in hand of Wakhan, who put in an encouraging debut.
