Atavique bids to make the most of the time left to race. © Photo Healy Racing
The second Bulmers Secret Orchard Live at Leopardstown evenings will take place this Thursday.
Trainer Tom Gibney is hopeful that in-foal Atavique can make the most of borrowed time on the racecourse by landing the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Nasrullah Handicap.
The beautifully bred five-year-old is hat-trick seeking in the €100,000 showpiece and bringing her Irish Grand National winning trainer and plucky owner Kevin Haigney on a wonderful journey in the process.
Atavique, a Godolphin-bred daughter of Dubawi, is in foal to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner and current Ballylinch Stud resident Waldgeist, and she has rocketed up the ratings to become a leading contender on Thursday.
From running a respectable race without ever troubling the winner in Bellewstown last April on her first run for new connections, Atavique was second to Rosscarbery in Sligo before winning two on the bounce at Fairyhouse and Down Royal, the latter coming in the Ulster Oaks.
Since winning the 2012 Irish Grand National with Lion Na Bearnai, Gibney has enjoyed some nice success over jumps but Atavique’s chance of snaring the Nasrullah Handicap in partnership with jockey Siobhán Rutledge, has connections excited about what would be beyond doubt the Meath trainer’s biggest day from a rather select string on the Flat.
Gibney said on Tuesday: “We are looking forward to Atavique taking her chance in Leopardstown. She came out of Down Royal well and we’re happy with her.
“It was always Kevin’s plan to go breeding from her straight away and that she wouldn’t be racing too long so I can’t complain. Maybe if he thought it was going to work out so well, he might have held back a year but we can’t do anything about that now. She has done really well for him.
“We didn’t know how good she might be as a racehorse is the simple truth, but we left Sligo very happy, after she ran so close Rosscarbery. I knew going home that day she had potential, though we probably didn’t know Paddy Twomey’s filly was more or less be a Group 1 filly at that stage!
“She relishes the ten-furlong-trip but though she has done well on good ground and has form in it in England too, I think she loves a bit of ease. I would rather that but it was lively enough in Fairyhouse to be fair to her. That was at a different level to the Nasrullah though. It was soft in Naas and there was a good cut in it in Down Royal as well. She is unlikely to get that at Leopardstown but the fact that she has performed in quicker ground is good. I just think she’d be better with a bit of cut.”
One of the most competitive races on the Irish calendar will be no easy pickings for any of the 13 runners in Thursday’s feature, but Gibney is keen that Atavique may have further opportunities before she is retired.
“She has a couple of other options but we’ll see how Thursday goes and take it from there. She’s in foal to Waldgeist so that is something for Kevin to look forward to but for now, but it will be nice to be travelling to Leopardstown for such a big pot and it’d be great to get it.”
Henry de Bromhead-trained Mosala and Chris Hayes will attempt the bold feat of winning back-to-back renewals of the race following his impressive win 12 months ago, and de Bromhead, also more accustomed to claiming major prizes during the jumping season at Leopardstown, will also saddle Annexation, who is the mount of Wayne Lordan.
Ado McGuinness launches a three-pronged attack on the feature with Casanova, Saltonstall and Star Harbour premier handicap regulars at this stage.
Elsewhere on Thursday’s Leopardstown card, the Group 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Stanerra Stakes has attracted a dozen declarations with a quarter of the field coming from across the Irish Sea. Champion jockey Colin Keane has been booked to ride Quenelle D’or for Hugo Palmer, while Ben Coen has picked up the spare on Garden Paradise, who is officially the highest-rated runner in the field for James Tate and Ronan Whelan rides the Roger Varian-trained Lady Hayes.
The Paddy Twomey-trained Rosscarbery is a fascinating inclusion following her recent effort in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes where she finished third before being disqualified.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Howth heads the field for the Built With Pride By Richmond Handicap and recent winners Darkened, Smaoineamh Sile and Sod’s Law all line up in the Richmond Homes Handicap on a high-class seven race card.
The first race goes to post at 5.30pm with Gavin James playing live after racing on the Bulmers Stage followed by music from a DJ. Tickets available at www.leopardstown.com and available to purchase from the gate.
