Media Puzzle has bypassed a tilt at the Derby and it can pay off for the Dermot Weld trained colt with a victory in today's Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh. Unbeaten in two starts this season, Media Puzzle is being prepared for the Irish Derby on July 2nd and should be good enough to cope with the English Listed winner Right Wing and a pair of Ballydoyle challengers.
Glyndebourne ran Media Puzzle to three parts of a length at Cork over a mile and a half but is now 3lbs worse off and considering he is reportedly being trained for the Queens Vase, the drop in trip can hardly help him either.
The other Aidan O'Brien runner Mythological and John Oxx's Takali may not present as much of a danger as Right Wing who needs the run of the race and my be a better operator in a bigger field. Weld can also be on the mark today with the Sadlers Wells colt Among Equals in the nine furlong maiden and it might be costly to ignore the claims of Copper Express in the mile handicap. Tomorrow's Navan fixture has a ground forecast of 'yielding to soft' which shouldn't inconvenience The Rort too much in the mile maiden. The Rort's sire, Dieses, gets his share of horses who relish the soft and Michael Grassick's runner was only a length and a half and a neck behind Shoal Creek and Shibl at Cork in April.
That gives The Rort the form beating of Dashing D and he looks a type to improve anyway. The feature tomorrow is the 15,000 fillies handicap and with a significant dig in the ground, it's worth looking at the bottom of the field to Helen Bach.
