Murtagh happy with Know It All ahead of Matron bid Trainer Johnny Murtagh has a strong hand in the Coolmore ‘America’ Justify Matron Stakes on Day 1 of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown, with recent Gowran Park Group Three winner Champers Elysees and the Qatar racing-owned Know It All. The latter is a filly that he holds in the highest regard. “She’s in very good form. She ran very well in the (Group 1) Prix Rothschild (in Deauville), she was third (less than a length behind the winner Watch Me) . "The plan was always to come back for the Matron. She’s fresh, she’s well. She’s the best horse we’ve had in the stable. I thought, if we had a good horse this year, it was her. “She ran well last year. She just got caught in a Group Three. This year has gone smoothly for her. Her first run was nice, she won a Group Three (at Leopardstown) next time. So all guns blazing towards the Matron Stakes. “She’s a very big filly, good breeding. Sheikh Fahad owns her. A very good sire (Lord Kanaloa, sire of top Japanese performer Almond Eye) who I didn’t know much about, but he seems to be one of the top stallions in Japan. “What she did as a two-year-old was probably remarkable because she was so big. You knew she was going to be a better three-year-old.”
