Going - Yielding, Good to Yielding in places. Dry and breezy
Jackpot Pool - 775.46 Dividend - 759.10 Winning Units - 1.05. Placepot Pool - 16,941.48 Dividend - 40.80 Winning Units - 290.06. Days Aggregate - 180,551.34 (7 races). Last Year (8 races).
Army too strong for rivals
Onameridance gives Crosse and O'Brien quick brace
Cross and O'Connor strike again
You see the size of him, he's big and he is probably only filling out into himself now. That's probably where the improvement has come and we've stepped him up in trip again. He'll stay further. I'd say he will go to Galway now. We will probably go up to a mile and a half there, he doesn't owe us anything and the lads are over the moon. Donagh actually said he thought he might be too close as they were going that quick and something might nab him from behind, but he picked up all the way to the line. He switched off lovely and you can ride him any way. He's one to look forward to. I wouldn't mind jumping a hurdle some day with him either. We were talking about it and then I was vetoed! . We'll put that on the back burner for now, but he would jump a hurdle. He would be exciting going over hurdles.
Atavique overcomes traffic to land Ulster Oaks
I had the race written off with about two furlongs to go as it didn't go according to plan. She didn't jump well and they went slow. We had been riding her handy away which seemed to suit. She's just a good mare and she got the gap and she was able to take it. We left Sligo that day saying that's a Listed horse (Rosscarbery) that beat us, and she has gone on to be a Group horse. She has improved a tonne as we can all see, and you are just praying that your horse has improved a bit with her. To be fair to her, she has. That's what we are trying to do, get horses like that and we can do something with them if we can get them. Like I say, there was nowhere to go and then, when it opened, I wondered was she going to be able to take it and she was able to. There is actually a race in Galway for her, one of the handicaps down there. We only have until either the first or second week in August (as she's in foal).
Oasis shines in Ulster Derby
He was a little bit unlucky the last day when nothing went right, so I just said to Jamie to take a chance today and go down the fence and see how it would work out. Everything worked out perfectly. First go at a mile and five basically and he did it well. He's only small and he's running in better races with a lighter weight. The last day he had 9st odd but it was a lot of lead when you were putting it on his back, but he carried it and ran well. I definitely thought he had a chance today with the light weight. We have had a couple of Listed winners but this could possibly be the most valuable race we have won. There's a three-year-old handicap in York over a mile and six at the Ebor meeting that we are looking at. We'll freshen him up for that and he should get into it. A galloping track will suit him.
Shot gives Rutledge and McConnell doubles
On a lot of his hurdles runs, he was entitled to go very close here. He's a really, really impossible horse to predict and train because you have to train him 70 per cent of what I train the other horses. He is kept fresh all the time so you are never sure you have him fit. What a horse, I think he has won nine or 10 in total. I think he has won four or five for me and you see the size of him. He carried top weight in Tramore the last day. He seems to be better over hurdles. He'll mix it and end up in Galway I'd say either on the Flat or over hurdles. I'd say he will go to the UK as he is a novice so I might pick up a novice over there at some point. He'll probably end up at Cheltenham in October. He was there last year and actually ran a really good race. We thought we only had to turn up in Dundalk a couple of times and he didn't fire and I don't know if he is still in love with it as he was. He's going on in years and coming October time he will probably have earned a break.
Compensation for Bolger and Manning with Dancila