Aidan O`Brien`s hopes of completing a clean sweep in the Irish classics this year were dashed when Lailani led home a 1-2 for trainer Ed Dunlop in the Kildangan Stud Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Sunday.
Frankie Dettori`s mount was supplemented earlier in the week at a cost of Ir28,000, and the investment proved worthwhile as the Unfuwain filly came through to head Mot Juste in the final 100 yards.
The absence of dual classic winner Imagine due to a stone bruise greatly weakened the Ballydoyle challenge, but O`Brien was still strongly represented numerically with six of the 12 runners. Karsavina faired best of the sextet in third place.
However O`Brien did saddle his eighth Group 1 winner of the season when Mozart pulverized the opposition in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket. `If you don`t follow him you don`t catch him` said the master of Ballydoyle after the son of Danehill burned off the top sprinters in Europe, and he could well join Galileo on the Breeders Cup team.
The crowd at the Curragh on Saturday was considerably less than the record 10,152 Oaks day attendance, and the turnout was again disappointing for the Group 2 Goffs International Stakes. A look back at the last seven renewals of this nine furlongs event shows an aggregate of 33 runners, by my simple maths an average of less than five. However you don`t need more than three to have a competitive betting heat as Distant Music was sent off the 5/4 favourite.
The demotion of Ear To The Ground in favour of Homer at Naas on Wednesday brought to an end one of the longest sequences in Irish racing. Believe it or not, by my calculations the last winner in this country to be `thrown out` for interference was Half Barrell at Galway in September 1999 - a gap of 22 months!
The criteria used for stewarding cases of interference are the subject of some debate among racegoers. The system varies from country to country, with the winner apparently given the benefit of the doubt here, while the French are a lot quicker to take action against a transgressor. Just to add further confusion, two demoted winners in Britain this year have been reinstated on appeal.
I believe the present system is the fairest as it allows the best horse to win the race, while action can still be taken against a jockey for careless riding. The owner or trainer, as well as the poor punter, are not penalised for any miscalculation by the rider.
Philip Rothwell and John Cullen are two of the rising stars in the sport, and both recorded their first trebles during the week. Tinahely trainer Rothwell recorded a mixed hat-trick at Dundalk on Thursday, while Cullen was seen to good effect in the saddle at Wexford the following evening when completing a 923/1 treble.
Cullen was presented with the Irish Racing Services sponsored champion claimer prize at the National Hunt awards in the Dunraven Arms, Adare on Saturday night. Ruby Walsh picked up the senior award, while Philip Fenton was the www.irish-racing.com champion amateur.
While I`m giving our site an unashamed plug, it was gratifying to see Curragh manager Jason Morris nominate it as his favourite in a Racing Post article. `It is an invaluable service for Irish racing fans ?. fast, well designed and easy to navigate` said the obviously well informed Morris!
The welfare of stable staff is often trumpeted by the powers that be, but yet it now looks likely they will not be represented on the board of Horse Racing Ireland. Surely this is a great opportunity to ensure the voice of the ground floor workforce is heard. Minister Joe Walsh was quoted during the week that a rotating place may be available on the board. What message does this send out to stable staff?
Tax free betting in British betting shops will come into force on October 6, and any ante-post wagers on events after that date are already not taxable. So Gary in Milton Keynes can plunge on Istabraq without the battle!
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