O'Brien joins forces with Mullins at Cork Joseph O’Brien warms up for a weekend of Group 1 action at the Curragh with four rides at Cork on Friday, and it’s interesting that the champion jockey teams up with the dominant force on the National scene when partnering the Willie Mullins-trained Shamar in the featured Follow @corkracecourse On Twitter Handicap. The Aga Khan-bred son of Dr Fong sports the familiar Ricci silks, and won twice over hurdles last year on a sound surface. The prospect of cut in the ground is not a major negative as he appeared to handle yielding ground quite well when signing off last term with a creditable fifth to Ancient Sands in the valuable Woodlands 100 Club October Handicap at Naas. Mullins also saddles Lucky Bridle, like Shamar rated in the 130’s over hurdles, in this €20,000 mile and a quarter event, while Castle Guest tops the weights in this eight-runner affair. The latter showed a liking for this ground and distance when scoring in impressive fashion at Leopardstown last backend, and comes here in good heart following a promising third over an inadequate mile at Gowran Park. O’Brien has another interesting ‘outside ride’ when partnering top-weight Daliyan for Rodger Sweeney in the Cork Racecourse Handicap over a mile. The five-year-old dual purpose gelding has progressed nicely over the past 12 months scoring three times (2 Flat/1 Hurdle), and appeared to find a mile and half too far when third to Cliff House (won again since) at Tipperary last month. O’Brien’s other two rides on this seven-race card are both for his father Aidan, with the well-bred Just Gorgeous in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden and Blackstone, noted staying on in the straight on debut at Navan last Sunday, in the Follow Us On Facebook Maiden. The latter mile event is noteworthy for the reappearance of the Jim Bolger-trained Hudson’s Bay. The four-year-old son of Teofilo has obviously been difficult to train with just two runs under his belt but was a major eye-catcher when thrown in the deep end into Listed company on debut at Dundalk. He lost considerable ground at the start before staying on into third behind Lines Of Battle on his sole juvenile start but has been absent since sent off evens favourite in the maiden won by Ruler Of The World at the Curragh 13 months ago. There is plenty of quality on show in the opening Father’s Day Racing June 15th Race with four of the seven runners rated in excess of 100. Nocturnal Affair had Scream Blue Murder behind when third to Guerre and Maarek in the Listed Woodlands Stakes at Naas last month, and will be difficult to beat if coping with this softer surface. David Marnane’s charge has done nearly all his racing on much faster going but did fill the runner-up spot in the mud behind Inexile in a Tipperary Listed race back in 2012.
