Fort Knox and Johnny Murtagh© Photo Healy Racing
Fort Knox entered the Guineas picture with a last-to-first win in the Listed Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes at Leopardstown today, scoring on debut for trainer Tommy Carmody and his assistant, jockey Johnny Murtagh.
Winning owner Andrew Tinkler has combined for some notable successes with Carmody and Murtagh in recent times and Fort Knox, which won his maiden last year for Richard Hannon, showed a good turn of foot to head leader Dont Bother Me inside the final furlong for a good length and three parts win.
Favourite The United States never threatened to win while another to disappoint was Move To Strike which raced keenly early on and was well beaten.
The somewhat complicated training arrangement which Carmody has with assistant Murtagh was clouded more in the aftermath of the race with Murtagh indicating, to the press, in the direction of his wife Orla Murtagh joking “you can get the quotes off the boss!”
Murtagh, the wife, then stated “we are really happy and he's in all the Guineas. We'll have to speak to Andrew (Tinkler) and we'll see how he comes out of the race but on that ground he did it well – it is quite testing.”
Both Ladbrokes and Boylesports introduced Fort Knox at 20/1 for the British 2,000 Guineas.
Quotes from Alan Magee
