Going - Yielding to Soft. Partly cloudy, threat of showers
Jackpot Pool - 51,410.75 Dividend - 35,987.50 Winning Units - 1. Placepot Pool - 36,226.73 Dividend - 1,691.70 Winning Units - 14.99. Pick Six Pool - 73,901.59 Not Won. Carried forward to Punchestown on Tuesday 24th April. Days Aggregate - 187,755.00 (8 races). Last Year 377,645.00 (7 races).
It's So Perfect in Navan for O'Brien and Moore
Mosse bags Listed honours on first trip to Navan
Of course it is a bit tough for him because at this level we were not the hottest one but the trainer did a really good job preparing him fit for today. He can go a bit higher, he really tries his best. He's a very honest and straightforward horse. I'm very pleased to be here. It's lovely and a good track. To be fair it's a bit sticky and soft but no tricks and a beautiful racecourse to ride. It’s good to get that job done and hopefully we’ll head to Naas next for the Lacken (on May 20). There is nothing really for him over five so we’ll go to Naas next and see what happens. Gerald was over last weekend riding work for the owner of London Icon (Simon Kwok) who is good friends with him in Hong Kong. It’s good to get him as he has a wealth of knowledge and we are lucky to have him when we can. Hopefully if he can step up again then long term it might be the Commonwealth but he’ll have to go Group Three next and see where we go from there. He loves that ground and that will have to be in his favour as well. London Icon will go straight for the French Guineas, and hopefully we’ll get him there in one piece. It’s unknown whether he’s up to that competition or not but we won’t know unless we go. He’s in good shape and doing everything right since his run at Naas.
Linehan conjures up a win from Golden Spell
She’s come on a nice bit from Naas and Denis said she got a bit stuck in the ground there. She appreciated the bit better ground today and she had good form here being second in a Listed race last year. The main plan is trying to win a Listed race this year. When I looked at the last race it’s not going to be easy as the Listed races in Ireland are very competitive. There is a race in Naas for her in a couple of weeks and we’ll probably let her go there. We’d love to think that she could win a Listed race as she’d be a very valuable broodmare in time. I thought the second was coming to win but Denis said when it got to him she got going again. She did prick her ears a bit in front but she’s been like that from day one. She’s very straightforward, tough, hardy, small, genuine and please God one day she could breed a good one.
Brouder enjoys victory on Captain Midnight
McCreery eyes Guineas tilt for Mary Tudor
She’s a lovely mare and has shown that form last year. She settled and did it well. She should get a mile and a half in time and we might go straight to the (Irish) Guineas now. I wanted to get her out to see where we are going with her. The ground dried up enough for her and that was the only thing I’d be a bit worried about for her. She wouldn’t want it any worse than that. I loved the way she quickened there when she saw the rising ground. She really put the head down and it’s good that she is holding her form and improving a little bit.
A plan comes together for Well Why Not
It got her into the race. I didn't think there was much pace in it so with a nice light weight on her back we said we would make plenty of use of it. She wasn't doing a whole pile in front till Niall (McCullagh on Night Of Power) came. Niall's one seemed to have a little look and it gave my one a bit of a chance and the heart to get back at him. She won well in the end. Chris rode her at Leopardstown on Monday where she finished sixth and he jumped off and said run her at Navan on Sunday and I’ll win on her. So it’s down to Chris as if it was up to me I wouldn’t have run her. He thinks she’ll get further so we’ll be looking for a race in the next two or three weeks over a mile and a half. She got 10lb on Monday for finishing sixth which was a bit mad but we were lucky enough it paid off today. It doesn’t normally work like that.
O'Brien and Moore seal double with Order Of St George
It would have suited me if they were going a bit quicker but it was the right race for him, he was 5/1 on and did what he had to do. He's the best one (in the staying division). I’m delighted with him, and hopefully he’ll go for the Saval Beg (at Leopardstown on May 25) which is what we usually do and then on to Ascot. He finishes out very well when he gets into his tempo and he gallops up the hill. Ryan said he was very relaxed and moved very well. They would be the two things that you would love to hear.
Lee brings up his Navan brace on Hareth
The ground and the track suited him as he needed every yard of it. He won a good handicap hurdle here. He’s in the three-mile (Alanna Homes Handicap Hurdle) in Punchestown (on Thursday) but I don’t know if he’ll run. It comes plenty soon but we’ll see how he comes out of this and consider it. On his hurdle rating, as with the second, he looked well enough in and that’s the way it worked out. He’ll keep going for a bit but he needs a break at some stage.