I was looking at the card for The Curragh tomorrow. There is a Group 2 race for which Aidan has the favourite (naturally). Frankie is on the second favourite, also trained by Aidan. Furthermore, there is a €610k two-year-old contest. Aidan's filly Cherry Blossom looks to have half a stone in hand, and is ridden by Frankie. But where is Ryan Moore? The answer, it turns out, is that he rides at Rosehill in Australia at 7.00 am our time in the Golden Rose Stakes (Group 1). His mount, the Chris Waller-trained Shinzo is 9/2 this evening. While he has three other mounts on the card for Chris Waller, Shinzo looks the main reason for his presence. The race is worth £327k to the winner. So with a €610k (to the winner) race at The Curragh in which he could have been on the favourite, what is going on here? Well it turns out that Shinzo is a nomination for the $AUS 5 Million Cox Plate on 28 October. I don't know whether he will get in to that field, but at the very least he'd need to win tomorrow to stand a chance. So with Ryan going all that way, I'm happy to stab a few quid at 9/2. The horse is 100/1 with three firms for the Cox Plate. Just saying! (N.B. This could all look like cobblers by 7.05 am tomorrow morning!)
Some great investigative work and theory sir ! I’ve had a wager at 9/2 but fully understand that there are no guarantees. It’s televised live on SkySp Racing channel in case you’re not aware.
Yes, and irritatingly, one which finished13th of 15 behind Shinzo at this course in March! C'est la vie! Time to turn to the easier matter of the Ayr Gold Cup and the 23-runner two-year-old race at the Curragh later!
I was going to ask your opinion on the Gold Cup… an old favourite is Summerghand but I can’t really understand why he’s running. He’s no real form on soft ish ground. There’s plenty of big EW offers available so may just take the first 7 or 8 offer
He actually has two wins on soft, but you have to go back a fair way. The trainer seems to think he's better on good or better. Anyway, he'd be one of my three, along with Orazio and Northern Express. I'd be with Cherry Blossom in the 'Millions' race at the Curragh. A last hurrah for Frankie at Irish HQ? I remember being on that course to see him win the Irish St Leger in 1999. Happy days!
His wins were when he was a 4 year old I think. Anyway, he’s a game horse and should be there or thereabouts. O’Meara’s the man at the moment as well
Well I was up and watched that. Moore never had that one with a chance. Back of pack, wide turning in, Poor
Disappointing run, KCP. I can only assume that his previous races having been over six furlongs, Ryan wanted to give him a chance to get this seven. He produced him wide to give him a chance but he never quickened up. Back to six, I suspect, with any Cox Plate ambitions shelved! I've just heard Aidan say that Continuous (the St Leger winner) will be supplemented for the Arc next Sunday. I give him a fair chance in what looks a weaker renewal than usual. I'm also taking Bay Bridge, with the ground on the soft side at the moment.
