Bryan Smart happy with Foxtrot Romeo’s effort in Irish 2000 Guineas at Curragh
Trainer Bryan Smart is delighted with the way Foxtrot Romeo performed in the Irish 2000 Guineas, held at Curragh on Saturday, May 26th. The 3-year-old stunted everyone with an excellent effort, finishing second behind Power in the Group 1 event.
After staying out of action for more than eight months, Andrew Tinkler’s colt made his seasonal comeback with a huge bang. He did a fantastic job all the way through, but remained a bit unlucky.
After chasing the leaders early on, he was in great position to aim for the top rank. However, staying on one pace decreased his chances dramatically. Although he inflicted some pressure on Power in the final few furlongs, it was not enough to notch up the
top spot.
As a result, the 33-1 chance missed the gold medal by a length’s distance. Smart was pretty happy with his charge’s fabulous act, saying that the colt has improved his work considerably in the recent times.
"It was a great run, you can't say much more than that really. We've always thought he was a nice horse. He only won a maiden last year, but he was such a big horse and we knew he'd improve a lot from two to three," said Smart.
"He has strengthened up, but he still has a big frame to fill and I don't actually think you'll see the best of him until next year. I think everyone thought I'd lost the plot by running him, but he took all the travelling and everything really well and
I'm really proud of him,” he added.
Foxtrot Romeo made his debut in August last year. Under Tom Eaves, he made a great impression by winning the British Stallion Studs EBF Debutants Maiden Stakes at Hamilton.
After a superb start, Danehill Dancer’s son lost his rhythm and did nothing special the following month. After suffering an embarrassing defeat at Doncaster, he went to Newbury, where he finished fourth in the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes.
On Foxtrot Romeo’s future plans, Smart disclosed that the runner is available for all big races, adding that he has entered the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
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