Antiquus beating Majestic Timeline at Dundalk last week© Photo Healy Racing
Joanna Morgan is optimistic Antiquus can rattle off a Dundalk hat-trick in this evening's Crowne Plaza Leading Jockey & Trainer Awards 2013 Handicap.
A revelation since being dropped back to sprinting distances, the four-year-old filly has won for the last two weeks on the Polytrack, showing great speed from the front.
"She won over a mile on heavy ground as a two-year-old and her full-brother wants a mile and six furlongs so I'd been running her over the wrong trip all along," said Morgan.
"She is so keen at home that you wouldn't want her to come 'off the steel' and it was a fortunate thing that we ran her over seven furlongs one day and then decided to drop her further in trip and she won over five the last day. She has gone up in grade but is in good form and hopefully can win again - she likes this surface." Knock Stars was third to Antiquus a week ago but has a pull at the weights this time.
"She has a bit to find with a few of the others but the small field will suit her and she's in good form," said trainer Pat Martin.
Michael Halford 's habitual slow-starter Rummaging failed in his own hat-trick bid when only seventh to Indian Landing last week and the trainer said: "He's in good form and has been running very consistently. It's a nice small field but we're very hopeful of a good run. The pace was slow the last day which didn't suit and he'd prefer a much faster pace." Under Review stayed on for second behind Antiquus on December 6 and trainer Michael Browne has been frustrated with the lack of options.
"If he bounces out with them and gets a good, fast pace I think he'll be competitive but despite it being a five-runner race, it looks very tricky. It bugs me to run them out of the handicap but there was no race for him for five or six weeks and I felt I had no choice but to run him," he said.
David Marnane, responsible for the final runner Seanie is on an uncharacteristic losing run at one of his most profitable haunts. Seanie was beaten a head in Rummaging's event seven days ago.
"He came out of his race well the last day and while this race comes a bit quicker than I'd have liked, he seems in great form and is dropping back in trip to what I think is his ideal trip," Marnane said.
"It's a five-runner race but is nonetheless very competitive but he's in great form and has a good chance. It would be nice to have a winner before Christmas."
Thomas Weekes
