Murtagh still puzzled by Zahrann disappointment Johnny Murtagh enjoyed a great Irish Champions Festival with three winners over the weekend at Leopardstown and the Curragh but is still mulling over the run of Zahrann in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes. The Night Of Thunder colt, a three-time winner this season including the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes and sent off a well-backed 11/2 chance in the €1.25m feature on Saturday, dropped away tamely in the straight to finish seventh of eight behind Delacroix. “The horses are in great nick, and I was hoping for more. If he’d finished fourth, I would accept it. I just don’t think the horse ran to form,” said the Curragh trainer. “He has a few little cuts and Ben (Coen) said he got a little bit upset in the stalls. “I don’t like giving it as an excuse, but I don’t believe he ran his race for some reason.” Murtagh saddled two winners on the Leopardstown card with Alakazi landing the Group 2 Tonybet Solonaway Stakes and Rahmi successfully carrying topweight in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sovereign Path Handicap, while he was also on the mark at the Curragh yesterday with Shaool in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Northfields Handicap. “It’s unbelievable this game. You’re up there one minute and you’re down the next. “I left Leopardstown after two winners a little bit despondent because I thought we had a real chance.”
