Going - Straight: Yielding Round: Yielding (Good to Yielding in places). Overcast
Jackpot Pool - €25,616.00 Dividend - €9,606.30 Winning Units - 2. Placepot Pool - €23,170.27 Dividend - €463.40 Winning Units - 37.49. Pick Six Pool - €5,377.50 Not Won. Carried forward to Listowel on Sunday 16th September. Days Aggregate - €446,088.51 Last Year €368,827.99
Good Music to start the day at the Curragh
He's a bonny little colt and he's far from the finished article. In his introduction the ground was horrendous. I loved him before the team bought him and I'm grateful they gave him to me. I picked him out at Goffs. I think he's a stakes horse and we won't see the best of him until next year. He was drawn twelve so I told Gary to take his time, to keep it simple and let him take him into the race. His career is not about today. He wants further and he is one to look forward to as a three-year-old.
Acre Spins up to Listed class
She's a good filly and she won well. I haven't met the new owners (Ecurie La Boetie, had previously raced for Mrs Lisa Kelly) yet but I'm sure they'll be very pleased. I think they got a bargain. She'll probably stay (with me) until the end of the season and then I don't know.
74 to 1 Curragh double for Lyons
He's a typical Big Bad Bob. He's like everything they (Anamoine Limited) ever sent us. He's mentally immature and he'll be a better four-year-old. We ran him over a mile and two at Dundalk and it's the only trip at Dundalk that I worry about the draw. When you're drawn high you're in trouble. You have to take your time and he just couldn't get into the race but he ran a cracker (6th). I said to Mrs Patino's racing manager, Patrick Cooper, that I was a bit sorry we left the Cambridgeshire behind but we couldn't go there because of the heavy ground.
Brilliant servant Maarek does it again
That's brilliant . super. He's in the Ayr Gold Cup but I think we'll give that a miss now. He's in at Ascot and he's in the l'Abbaye as well, whatever comes up softest. It would probably have to be very soft in France so we'll look at Ascot, there's a Group 2 on the 20th of October. That was hard enough to watch. I said to him (Spencer) to ride him with confidence but I didn't mean with that much confidence. We were a bit afraid that he might need the run as he had a month off.
Grassick & Carey hit the bulls-eye at Curragh
We were waiting for ground. He got a knock in the spring and we were waiting for months for a bit of ground. He's better when fresh and he gave him a lovely ride. I thought he wasn't right coming down the hill but they were all bunched coming into the straight. It's a nice change of luck.
Cape continues on the up
He did it well and he's improving. He got a bit of a culture shock in the first half of the race. He was a long way back and it's different not running against his own age group. We'll leave it at that, he's a big horse and we'll give him time to mature. He's had a busy campaign. When he first started racing he was very, very stupid. He hadn't a clue but when he was beaten in a maiden here over six furlongs the penny started to drop.
Carmody & McCullagh in famous win
It was a good performance, absolutely fabulous, you couldn't write it. I told Niall that he was in great great form. He rode him in his last bit of work and he thought he was in good form and he showed it today. This is much much better (than riding) as you are with them twenty four seven. You live with them and you mind them. We have a great team, Niall McCullagh and Ben Curtis ride out. There is also the staff and Johnny (Murtagh) rides out most of the time when he's not away riding work elsewhere. I'm very grateful to the owner (Andrew Tinkler), he has 17 in training with us. It's through Johnny (Murtagh) that I got involved with him, they are well-bred horses, bred to win Legers. It's amazing a six-year-old ex-jumps horse winning a Leger. I was beaten a short head in an Oaks (the Irish version in 1977 on Sassabunda) so this makes up for it. Ursa Major ran a good race and it's been a good day.
Brilliant Dawn Approach remains unbeaten
I was very impressed when I saw him winning so easily and even more so when Kevin told me the pace they were going. He thought that they might have been going a stride too fast but that wasn't the case. He was well up to it and he flew home. He'll come on a little bit for the run but he doesn't need to. Hopefully he'll go for the Dewhurst . it's one of our favourite haunts and hopefully we'll get there. We'll talk about it (plans) at the end of the year and whatever Sheikh Mohammed decides will be fine with me. It's always nice when a horse has been off for so long, to get the win and get the job done. There is some relief. It was the same with his father (New Approach) in the same race. He went a relentless gallop and he quickened off it. Like father like son. He'll make a very smart miler and if he stays any further it'll be a bonus. The ground was a slight concern but he handled it very well. Even if it was a little bit worse at Newmarket we'd be tempted.
