Going - Straight: Soft to Heavy Round: Soft. Overcast with threat of rain
Jackpot Pool - €6,178.10 Not Won. Carried forward to Curragh on Sunday 25th May. Placepot Pool - €23,189.10 Dividend - €40.30 Winning Units - 402.78. Pick Six Pool - €18,165.55 Not Won. Carried forward to Curragh on Sunday 25th May. Days Aggregate - €394,436.00 (7 races). Last Year €412,032.81 (8 races).
Harrington off the mark with Jeanne Girl
that's my first winner of the new season and I had two horses beaten short heads already and i was thinking 'oh no not another one!'. Niall was blaming himself as he said she was travelling too easily and then hit the front and started to idle. She was a bit disappointing at Naas as we thought she'd run well but the education stood to her. We think she's smart and she handled the ground grand but we'll get over today before making a plan. Hopefully she continues improving and I imagine the way she moves, she'd like good ground as well.
Cappella books Ascot ticket with Marble win
I thought it was a very professional performance and he will be better on better ground. We have done Dundalk, done horrible ground at Naas and now horrendous ground at the Curragh.
Slade Powers to Greenlands glory
he is a very good colt and is a bit like his trainer in that he had a bit of temperament but has grown up better than I have! He is behaving better at the gates now. He has been second and third in Group 1s so we'd love to win one with him and I think he's a bit special. I was happy with his training coming here and while he was race fit, I thought that with ten stone on that ground, that the horse with the run (Maarek) might be the danger, but he won doing hand stands. He'll go for the Diamond Jubilee now.
Kingman wins 2,000 Guineas in style
I was quite close to taking him out but what made up my mind was it was fresh ground. It was very heavy ground out there but it was lovely fresh ground and the track was in pristine order; if they had ran a handicap on that ground beforehand, he wouldn't have run. Alls well that ends well though and you could see two furlongs out he was still cruising. He is a very talented colt and its great to win a Guineas with him. I told James to wait and wait, as the mile out there would take some getting in the conditions and he rode a beautiful race. He is a miler and it will be great fun taking on Richard Hannon's horse again (Night Of Thunder) and hopefully they'll both go for the St James' Palace next.
Murtagh's 'millionaire' wins Lanwades Stakes
we always thought a lot of her and she came to us with a big reputation. She was ready earlier in the year and was going very well in the spring but then had a few little hold ups and we had to be patient with her. It paid off though and Jamie gave her a lovely ride. I didn't know whether she would handle conditions but she had worked well on soft ground the other day and it was worth taking a chance as there was nowhere else to run her. She 'll go for the Windsor Forest now and she needed to run before that. Jamie (Spencer) says she is a filly that needed confidence and gained plenty today.
Tonton Macoute beats off opposition
he is still for sale but he has gone dearer now!. He's by Yeats so he'll get two miles and running him at that mile and a quarter is like a sprint to him. He'll be running on those two miles races on the flat and he also jumps well. This horse could be good fun as he is very slow to learn and is still improving. I half-fancied him when I saw the rain come.
Whelan scores on States bound That's Plenty
he (That's Plenty) is off to America next week and leaves me unless the boss (Jim Long, Thistle Bloodstock) changes his mind, that's the plan. There's nothing here for him, he's not a Listed or Group horse and will have ten stone in all his handicaps and it will get to him eventually. He has been a grand, genuine horse and has been good to me and we haven't done bad getting him from 64 to 100!
