Alcatraz aims to follow up in Cork Derby Trainer Richard O’Brien is unsure what to expect from Alcatraz as he bids to follow up his Curragh success of just over a week ago in Sunday’s Cork Derby. The six-year-old provided the Ballingarry-based trainer with his 11th winner of a fine campaign when dominating his rivals last Saturday, his first victory since landing a Chepstow maiden over three years ago. O’Brien has been pleased with how Alcatraz has performed at home since being snapped up for just 6,000 guineas last autumn, but he has rarely transferred that promise to the track and he is more hopeful that confident about his chances on Sunday. O’Brien said: “He seems in good form. He’s a bit of a character and his races don’t seem to take too much out of him. “I don’t really know where that performance at the Curragh came from. He’s a horse who has always shown us plenty, but he seems to find ways of getting himself into trouble during his races. “After his previous run at Gowran, I was at the end of my tether with him, to be honest. I’d said to the owners before he ran at the Curragh we might be coming to the end of the road with him, then he went and won like he did. It’s almost as if knew he was in the last chance saloon! “The handicapper seems to have taken into account that he doesn’t win often. That was only his second win in 33 races. “He’ll probably go and frustrate me for another 12 or 14 races now, but he has a big engine and if he reproduces his Curragh performance, then he’ll be hard to beat.” With a total prize fund of 50,000 euro up for grabs, the mile-and-a-half contest has attracted a field of 15 runners. Dermot Weld’s nine-times winner Tandem heads the weights, while other contenders include Jim Bolger’s Clongowes, the Willie Mullins-trained Gustavus Vassa and Lord Erskine, who represents Harry Rogers. The latter has won three times on the Flat, including last year’s Irish Cesarewitch, and returns to the level for the first time this season following successive wins over hurdles in May. Rogers said: “The horse is in great form and we’re looking forward to running him. “He’s gone up a lot in the weights on the Flat since winning the Cesarewitch, but hopefully he might get placed at least. “He handles good ground, but he’s better with an ease in it, so any rain would be in his favour.” Elsewhere on Sunday’s card, the Willie McCreery-trained Excelling Spirit bids to make it third time lucky in the fillies’ maiden following successive runner-up finishes at the Curragh and Fairyhouse. Aidan O’Brien’s Victory Salute, a full-brother to the high-class stayer Bondi Beach, is sure to be popular with punters in the 10-furlong maiden after shaping with abundant promise when fourth on his racecourse debut at Leopardstown.
