Nallen wins second Academy Hurdle race Orby Sale-graduates completed consecutive wins from the opening two races of the Academy Hurdle-series today, with the John Nallen owned-and-trained Minella Yoga (10/1) landing Fairyhouse’s Irish Stallion Farms EBF-sponsored renewal. The series commenced with Quinto Do Lago’s Cork success in October and today another full-field of 14 lined up, with Niarchos family-bred Minella Yoga scoring stylishly from Apache Peak, with Hygge - out of a half-sister to Giants Causeway, finishing third. Jockey Darragh O’Keeffe was completing a double and regarding Nallen’s €35,000-yearling, assistant James Carroll reported “Minella Yoga is a fine big horse who we bought as a yearling, but was always going to be too big for the Flat. “We broke him and tipped away with him jumping over barrels as a two-year-old. We nursed him away and gave him all the time he wanted. We did a bit with him last year and he worked with, Minella Study, who won a Listed hurdle in Wetherby last week.” “I was a little worried about the ground but Darragh said he went through it and that he jumps for fun. He said even coming to the line he was only learning his job, that he was going further away.” He added “if he had been beaten today he could have gone back point-to-pointing, but we were half-debating if we’d keep him for points and not bother coming here, with the ground changing. He was ready and the horses are running well, so we said we’d let him go. He has a future and I’d imagine he’s for sale. “Dan King, who had done all the schooling, missed riding him today as he was second reserve and he took another ride.” Quotes from Gary Carson
