Burke 'gives it a go' and bags third weekend-winner North Yorkshire-based trainer Karl Burke’s decision to target Irish Champions Weekend yielded a third success today at the Curragh, as his Alparslan (5/4f) defied joint top-weight to land the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes. Confined to horses sold at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale and November’s Tattersalls Sapphire Sale, 16 runners lined up in today’s €250,000 contest. An impressive winner on Leicester debut in August, Alparslan today made virtually all the running under Clifford Lee, and held on well in blustery conditions, to score comfortably by 3.5 lengths from Magny Cours . Burke had bagged yesterday’s Matron Stakes in a Leopardstown-double from three runners, with Royal Champion having finished third in the Champion Stakes. Burke reported “Alparslan is a lovely colt and we purposely left him for this race after he won his maiden. He’d improved a lot on that, and we’ll throw him into black type races now and see how high we can take him. “It was the same at Leicester over seven, he was doing his best work at the end. He’s a lovely big colt. He’s workmanlike at home, he’s not a speed horse, but you never know until you get those horses onto the track and see what is under the engine. “He could go for the Horris Hill at the backend in Newbury. He obviously handles a bit of cut in the ground as well.” He added “there are some great trainers over here and some great horses, but you’ve got to take them on and should never be afraid of getting beat. I don’t understand why a lot more UK trainers don’t give it a go. There is good prizemoney, particularly this weekend. “I love travelling horses and like the challenge of taking on the great trainers whether it be here or in France or wherever. It’s all part of life — you have to give it a go.” Quotes from Alan Magee
