Kevin Prendergast fires up Dunboyne Express
Having swept the board of the main juvenile prizes at the July meeting at Newmarket and Glorious Goodwood, Richard Hannon has an enviable team of two-year-olds, many of whom are being touted for major honours both this season and next.
He has entered three of his best colts – Strong Suit, Libranno and King Torus – in an attempt to win the Group One Jumeirah Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October for the first time but Strong Suit has the chance to press his claims as a potential champion juvenile on Sunday when he contests the Group One Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.
This race has been dominated by Aidan O’Brien, who has won 10 of the last 12 renewals, but he looks to be a bit-part player despite apparent strength in numbers. O’Brien still has seven of the 13 remaining entries but of those only Samuel Morse, fourth to Strong Suit in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, is a definite runner with Emperor Hadrian and Zoffany possibles.
The trainer who is most likely to stand between Hannon and a first British-trained winner of the Phoenix Stakes since Mark Johnston’s Princely Heir in 1997 is Kevin Prendergast.
His colt, Dunboyne Express, is unbeaten in two starts and moved up in class from his maiden win at Leopardstown in June with an eight-length victory over Samuel Morse in the Group Three Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh last month. “He’s hopefully running in the Phoenix Stakes on Sunday,” Prendergast said. “And, while I’d rather that we weren’t coming up against Strong Suit, we’re going to have to take him on at some point.
"He came out of the Anglesey well and he couldn’t have won more impressively. He had Samuel Morse eight lengths behind him and he was beaten four and three-quarter lengths by Strong Suit in the Coventry, so we have some cause for optimism, although I‘m sure that Richard’s colt could have won by further at Royal Ascot.
“He has a very good pedigree and he’s the first colt that I’ve trained for his owner-breeder John Connaughton, who had horses in training with my brother Paddy. There’ve been plenty of offers for the colt but he’s not selling at the moment.”
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