RACING:BREEDERS' CUP winner St Nicholas Abbey will face six rivals on his return to European action in the High Chaparral EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh today.
Aidan O’Brien’s charge won the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs in November and narrowly failed to catch Cirrus Des Aigles in the Dubai Sheema Classic on his last outing.
The Ballydoyle handler has stated recently that the five-year-old is only just showing the brilliance he had promised in his early days after it all went wrong for him in the 2,000 Guineas back in 2010.
O’Brien has won the last two renewals of the Group Three with Fame And Glory and So You Think. His main rival would appear to be John Oxx’s Sharestan. An easy winner of the Irish Lincolnshire on just the third start of his career, he was considered by many to be an unlucky loser when beaten a head by Famous Name at Leopardstown most recently.
Jessica Harrington’s Bob Le Beau has some decent form to his name while O’Brien also runs Robin Hood and Windsor Palace. Elusive Ridge and Parkers Mill complete the field.
Dermot Weld’s high-class filly Unaccompanied misses the race. The dual Grade One-winning hurdler made a triumphant return to the Flat with an impressive performance at Navan last weekend and is likely to make her mark in Pattern company before the season is out.
An intriguing renewal of the Dylan Thomas European Breeders Fund Tetrarch Stakes also looks to be in store. The seven-furlong Listed race for three-year-olds has attracted a small but select field of five, none of whom can be ruled out.
Jim Bolger has won three of the last five runnings and relies on Janey Muddles this year. Without a win since her two-year-old debut, she nevertheless brings the highest official rating to the race.
Quote Of The Day, who represents Eddie Lynam, was a seven-length winner of a Naas maiden, but was beaten in a Listed race last time out. Aidan O’Brien has chosen to run Triumphant who beat a stablemate in a Gowran maiden on his second start at two. He will wear blinkers for the first time. Coolnagree has had two runs already this season and Willie McCreery’s filly has been in good form.
John Oxx’s Takar looked a promising type last season when winning a Leopardstown maiden by eight lengths and his connections have high hopes for him this season.
Pat Downes, the owner Aga Khan’s racing manager said: “I noticed that Johnny Murtagh put him in his 10-to-follow so he must be expecting good things from him. “He had a hold up in February which wasn’t ideal. He’s ready to go now but might just need the run. He won his maiden very nicely indeed.”
Outstanding Irish chaser Florida Pearl died on Saturday evening, aged 20, the Irish National Stud said in a statement yesterday. Formerly trained by Willie Mullins, the Violet O’Leary-owned gelding won the 2001 King George VI Chase at Kempton and a record-breaking four Irish Hennessy Gold Cups. Florida Pearl had spent the last five years at the Co Kildare-based Irish National Stud, who said he had to be put down due to a rare condition linked to a malignant cancer.
