Tony Mullins© Photo Healy Racing
Tony Mullins expects today's Comer Group International Irish St Leger Trial to leave stable star Princess Zoe cherry-ripe for another big-race assignment at York next week.
The six-year-old was slightly disappointing on her first two starts of the season at Cork and Gowran Park, but bounced back to her best with a brilliant run when runner-up to Subjectivist in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
Princess Zoe is entered in the Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup and the Sky Bet Ebor at York, with Mullins keen to see how she performs at the Curragh before deciding which race she will contest on the Knavesmire.
He said: “I’d say she’s coming forward all the time, which is unreal at her age.
“We’re very happy with her. We believe this is not her ideal distance (a mile and three-quarters), but it’s an ideal prep race after a lovely bit of rain in the last couple of days. We’re delighted she gets the chance to run.
“I don’t see any reason why she won’t go to York and Friday’s run will have the bearing factor on which race she goes for — that will tell us a lot more.
“We’re very open to whatever the mare tells us to do on Friday night.”
Should Princess Zoe earn herself a tilt at the Lonsdale Cup, she would likely renew rivalry with Gold Cup fourth Stradivarius.
However, it is Goodwood Cup winner Trueshan that Mullins rates as the bigger threat.
“Stradivarius has been a great horse, but if we can beat Trueshan I’d be very happy to think the rest of them would be behind us,” the trainer added.
“I was afraid if no rain came for York and we didn’t run on Friday, then we’d have nowhere. That’s what we were worried about.
“We’re not worried about good ground, I just don’t want good to firm. It was a brilliant run on good to firm at Ascot, but we have no desire to run on that ground again.”
Princess Zoe’s Curragh rivals include Wordsworth whose trainer Aidan O’Brien has won this race in each of the past seven seasons, and the Joseph O’Brien’s multiple course winner Twilight Payment
