Aidan O’Brien knocked out by Puncher Clynch
As the Newmarket Guineas meeting evolves from a distant speck on the horizon into the first major fixture of the Flat season, those seeking reassurance in the form of the Aidan O’Brien yard have precious little to work with.
As usual the trainer has eschewed trial races for any of his contenders for the mile Classics, preferring to complete his preparations on the gallops at Ballydoyle - a 25% strike-rate for his runners in Ireland during April should quell any nerves. However, his 11 runners in Group races have failed to yield a winner thus far and the latest statistic to that run was added in the Group Three PW McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown.
O’Brien had two runners in the race with At First Sight expected to act as pacemaker for the favourite, Mikhail Glinka, however in what was a rather messy race he could finish only third to Puncher Clynch. Those hoping to glean clues from a Classic trial that has previously signposted Derby winners Galileo and High Chaparral may well feel that this year’s renewal was not of that quality.
Johnny Murtagh never looked entirely at ease on Mikhail Glinka, who was reluctant to load into the starting stalls, took a keen hold in the early stages and then took time to find his full stride in the home straight where At First Sight lost a protracted battle with Puncher Clynch (pictured left) by a short-head, with Mikhail Glinka a neck away in third. O’Brien said that the colt would come back to Leopardstown next month for the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial but winning trainer Jim Bolger was not making any such plans for the winner who was stepping up from winning a Dundalk handicap earlier this month.
“As a two-year-old all he ever did was barely went there and done as much as he had to do,” winning jockey Kevin Manning said. “He’s a very laid-back horse – takes it all in his stride – and he was the same at Dundalk this year when he won his handicap. That’s just the type of horse he is.”
Famous Name has been the type of horse who has threatened to be something special. He was only a head away from winning the Prix du Jockey Club two years ago but his career has been punctuated by a series of setbacks. However, he looked in fine fettle when he won the Heritage Stakes in the hands of Pat Smullen who said afterwards: “The only concern I had before the race was that I was surprised that the ground had dried out. As we all know he’s a horse that appreciates a little bit of ease in the ground but, thankfully, he got away with it today and he won impressively.
“I’d be very hopeful of his this year. He just hasn’t been a straightforward horse to train, and he has his little niggling problems. This year, so far, he’s started off very well and I’d have great hopes for him.”
Winning trainer Dermot Weld was not present as he is currently in the United States awaiting the lifting of the restrictions to air travel caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland and the racecourse executive at Punchestown are hoping that connections of British-based runners will be able to make alternative arrangements for their Festival meeting which begins on Tuesday.
Paul Nicholls has already dispatched his team for the meeting by ferry which includes Denman, who will be contesting the Guinness Gold Cup on Wednesday. Tony McCoy will be in the saddle once more but despite securing a barely credible 15th successive championship title he appears destined to end the season with what he will regard as a disappointment.
The Grand National victory on Don’t Push It may still be fresh in his mind but McCoy believes that boundaries are there to be pushed. He wanted a double century of winners to crown his season but, after drawing a blank at Stratford yesterday, remains on 194 winners with just five booked rides at Plumpton and Kempton today before he heads to Punchestown.
McCoy’s position is impregnable but one rider who has felt that ground give way beneath him is Denis O’Regan. The jockey has been informed that his retainer for owner Graham Wylie’s horses trained by Howard Johnson – a three-year contract that started in 2007 – would not be renewed.
Graham Lee and Paddy Brennan have been shown the door by Johnson in recent years and both riders went on to re-establish themselves with other powerful yards. There is every chance that O’Regan will do likewise but there appears to be one significant difference with this severing of the partnership.
Before it was the trainer’s decision for a change, this time it appears that Wylie would no longer retain his own jockey. Whether this leads to any scaling down of the partnership between trainer and owner remains to be seen but Wylie’s colours have not been carried to a high-profile victory since the Arkle Trophy and World Hurdle double achieved by Tidal Bay and Inglis Drever two years ago – and there does not appear to be much else on the horizon.
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