Racing: With Refuse To Bend now likely to be targeted at Longchamp's Prix du Moulin on Sunday, Pat Smullen has picked up the ride on the Irish Oaks winner Vintage Tipple in the Ireland The Food Island Champion Stakes.
The booking was confirmed by the former champion jockey yesterday as Frankie Dettori, who rode Vintage Tipple to Classic glory at the Curragh, is committed to Moon Ballad in the €1 million race.
"I rode her after racing at the last Leopardstown meeting and she seemed a lovely filly. It was only a half speed but she gave me a good feel and I'm looking forward to it," Smullen said.
"It's going to be a very difficult race for any three-year-old, especially a three-year-old filly, but she is a Classic winner and she deserves her chance. She should certainly be in the middle of the scrap anyway," he added.
Smullen's booking came after Dermot Weld indicated that the 2,000 Guineas winner Refuse To Bend will travel to France rather than race over 10 furlongs in the Champion Stakes.
"He is most likely to go for the Moulin and Pat Smullen will ride. I could also run Military Option (Pat Shanahan) in the race.
"The decision had nothing to do with the ground or anything else. We just feel the mile will be more suitable to him than the mile and a quarter," Weld said.
The Curragh trainer also reported that his American Oaks winner Dimitrova has settled in at Belmont Park ahead of her Group One target on Saturday night and that America's top jockey Jerry Bailey will ride.
Also in the US is the former Aidan O'Brien-trained Alberto Giacometti who will continue his career with Laura de Seroux.
The Sadler's Wells colt, a Group One winner over 10 furlongs as a two-year-old, failed in the Derby but did run third in the Prix Lupin behind Dalakhani.
His new trainer, who also took over O'Brien's Canadian International winner Ballingarry last year, will target Alberto Giacometti at the Hollywood Derby on November 20th.
"He's more of a middle distance type than the typical Sadler's Wells and I think he will fit in here quite well," she said.
Cashman's bet yesterday: 5/4 Alamshar, 5/2 Falbrav, 7/2 High Chaparral, 10 Vintage Tipple, 12 Islington, 14 Moon Ballad.
Today's action is at Clonmel where only the brave or the foolish will relish the downhill run to the straight on the forecast "firm" going.
Michael Hourigan runs the Tralee bumper winner Spin In The Wind and the Ballinrobe Chase winner Knockawad in the two-mile maiden but both can be run out of it by Theme Song.
Tony Mullins's horses are in good form, as evidenced by Definite Best's Cambridgeshire success at the weekend, and Theme Song was an easy bumper winner on fast going at Downpatrick a month ago. Bobington's fourth to Beucaire at Ballinrobe on Saturday makes a pretty convincing case for the claimer.
Kieren Fallon took the riding honours with a 9 to 1 double at York yesterday. The champion jockey got off the mark early with Sporting Gesture and followed up on the odds-on Secretary General.
