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Jockey Angle - Irish Champions Festival Review
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We have decided to retire Lord Erskine. We had him ready to go to Listowel next week and a little bit of heat came back in his tendon where we got a knock, so we decided we would stop. As a 13-year-old with 79 runs, including two for Willie McCreery, and 14 wins across the Flat and over hurdles, he was a great servant. He is going to remain in the yard for his retirement.
It was Willie McCreery who said to me that he was going to the sales (in 2016) and he thought he was well worth buying. He thought he just wanted time and actually thought he had an engine. He thought he was decent and he was proved right. That's how I ended up getting the horse.
Last weekend’s showcase meetings at Leopardstown and the Curragh delivered some spectacular performances by some outstanding horses in front of solid crowds - 11,516 Leopardstown and 8,801 Curragh - but it always leaves a sour taste for me when I see a jockey rewarded for breaking the rules.
Shane Foley picked up 11 days of suspensions for his riding of Hotazhell in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, but that won’t bother him in the slightest as he notched up the biggest win of his career.
By Shane Redmond - OCASTLE DES MOTTES (3) looks the part. He backed up an improved effort when runner-up to clear favourite Vicar Street at the Galway Festival when a cosy winner over a trip closer to today's at Galway earlier this month. That form looks to give him the beating of Sky Lord who ran his best races earlier in the year and returned to winning ways at Wexford in July where he had the race in safe keeping when left clear at the final fence. Apple's Of Bresil hasn't run since winning at Kilbeggan at the end of May and looks up against it now.
