Sprewell and Shane Foley © Photo Healy Racing
Jessica Harrington is hopeful Shane Foley will be back from injury to partner Sprewell in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, while she will rely on Colin Keane and Ronan Whelan to ride her talented team at Royal Ascot.
Foley sustained a broken collar bone when the Snowhaven, trained by Harrington, clipped heels on the home turn in the closer at Gowran Park on Monday evening.
He now faces time pressures in order to be fit to ride the talented son of Churchill in the Curragh Classic on July 2.
Foley steered Sprewell to finish an encouraging fourth in the Betred Derby, despite meeting trouble in running and had previously landed the Group Three Derby Trial aboard him at Leopardstown last month.
Sprewell, who was stabled with Harrington’s great friend Nicky Henderson before heading to Epsom, has come out of the race without a bother on him, following his fourth-placed effort behind Auguste Rodin.
Harrington said: “He went to Nicky’s beforehand and he came out of the race grand.
“He just had a nice trot and little canter on Wednesday morning. He looks well and I’m happy enough with him. He’s eaten up well and put on weight.
“I’m not saying he would have won or been second, but I thought he would have been third, had he had a clear run. He was blocked twice.”
Though Harrington has yet to finalise her Royal Ascot team, which looks set to include Sounds Of Heaven, who will bid to land the Coronation Stakes, she is has her fingers crossed Foley makes a quick recovery for a rematch with Auguste Rodin.
She added: “Sprewell will go to the Irish Derby next. Hopefully Shane will be back to ride him by then.
“Ronan Whelan has won a couple of stakes race for me already this year, or there’s Colin Keane. They are the two most likely jockeys to use at Ascot. We will have a nice team of horses, hopefully.”
