Murtagh hopeful of another bumper year Jockey Johnny Murtagh expects Aidan O'Brien's unbeaten Mastercraftsman to be in top form for the Stan James 2000 Guineas at Newmarket next month. The son of Danehill Dancer earned mixed reviews in a racecourse gallop at the weekend. "I haven't been to Ballydoyle yet, but Aidan brought forty horses to the Curragh last Sunday," Murtagh said. "They all seemed to be in good form, are all well. They got a bit tired on the heavy ground, but we have a lot of nice three-year-olds, unexposed. "Hopefully there will be a champion amongst them. They will now have to go to the trials - I suppose the horse everyone talks about is Mastercraftsman, a dual Group One winner. "I rode him at the Curragh last week and he is in good form. He has five weeks to the 2000 Guineas now and that should be about right. "Rip Van Winkle, he is another one this year who is very exciting, and of course Fame and Glory, who won at Saint-Cloud last year. "They are the three everyone knows about, but hopefully we have some dark horses that have won their maiden or have run well as two-year-olds. "As to the older horses, we have Septimus there and Yeats. "We are looking forward to a fourth Ascot Gold Cup and, looking at him last Saturday, he certainly didn't look like an eight year old." "When I get home we have a lot of exciting horses and I think by mid-May we will know where we are.
