Paul Hensey Sunday was a wonderful day. To return to the Curragh, where I was manager for 14 years, as chief operating officer of Al Shaqab Racing, to have a Group 1 winner was out of this world, as Ebro River bagged the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes. It was my first time racing in Ireland in almost two years so it was a marvellous day. I started with Al Shaqab July last year. We purchased a good number of yearlings then including Ebro River. Charlie Gordon-Watson picked him up at Tattersalls Book 2. He was bred by Tally-Ho Stud. He has never run a bad race and this was his seventh run as a two-year-old. He won the Listed National Stakes in Sandown earlier in the year and has danced every dance. He’s been in Newmarket, Goodwood and Royal Ascot and ran a fantastic race again at the Curragh. After Goodwood we thought it might be time to give him a bit of a break but his trainer, Hugo Palmer, was adamant that he was bouncing after that race and was very keen to come to Ireland. The rain during the week helped, he’s a horse that likes to get his toe in a little bit. A lot of things fell his way so we were delighted to come here and to have Shane Foley on board. The plan worked out almost perfectly. Hugo was saying that he perhaps over-raced a little bit in his earlier races by being held up and he was right in saying that, so there was a slight change of tactics in that Shane let him bowl along and he relaxed very well in front and got the six furlongs very well from there as a result. We’re in the very lucky position that we have three nice colts. We have Armor, who won the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes in Goodwood last week and we have Lusail, who won the Group 2 July Stakes in Newmarket so we have three nice colts and we’ll try to keep them out of each other’s way. I have always said the Curragh is the best racing surface and race track in the world. The rain we had during the week made it slower ground on Sunday, but it was still beautiful ground. It’s a fantastic race track. Every new stand I have ever seen built has had a little bit of teething problems when it reopened. It happened in Royal Ascot. It happens everywhere. Once we all get back to normal, it will be great to see people filling the enclosures again. I felt sorry for the guys at the Curragh. You had thousands of people going in and out of Kildare Village over the road and a hurling match in Croke Park with 24,000 people. It’s time crowds returned to Irish racing and when that happens, people will be back to the Curragh to enjoy what it has to offer. And please God I’ll be a more regular visitor myself!
