Richard Hannon considers Date With Destiny at Goodwood
Crisis, what crisis? It was business as usual at the Richard Hannon yard despite a week when the trainer’s juggernaut of a season appeared to be dropping down a couple of gears.
Every stable has their low points in a season but after the peaks that Hannon has scaled this summer, the troughs were always going to look deeper. A strike-rate of just 13% for his British runners in August has combined with high-profile defeats on foreign fields to suggest that at least one wheel has fallen off the wagon but Hannon is looking forward rather than backwards. And with good reason.
York’s Ebor meeting was hardly the same success story as the previous marquee festival fixtures, with the victory of Moriarty in the Convivial Maiden Stakes overshadowed by the disappointment of d**k Turpin’s run in the Juddmonte International Stakes, but Hannon scoffed at the prospect of reaching for the panic button even after the below-par run of Libranno, in the Prix Morny at Deauville, followed that of Strong Suit in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh a fortnight ago.
Speaking on his website Hannon said: “Sure, some of the horses ran disappointingly at York, but we never went up there expecting to be as successful as we had been at Royal Ascot, Newmarket's July meeting or Glorious Goodwood.
“Cadeaux Pearl never ran his race and came back wrong and we are having Deauville Post scoped too as he stopped too quickly, but d**k Turpin clearly did not stay and, while Martyr did not fulfil our expectations in the Ebor, I’m not sure that he enjoyed the ground up there. I know that Martyr likes the going fast, but it was loose on top and they were kicking up a h**l of a lot of dust, which for one of our major meetings is just not acceptable.
“I can understand the runners coming wide into the straight to race up the stands side when the ground turns soft, but for the jockeys to decide that was the route to take on what the executive claimed to be good fast ground something had to be wrong. Happily, we managed to bag one winner on the Friday, courtesy of Moriarty, who looks a decent horse and had his Newbury form franked when Murbeh won the big sales race at Ripon on Saturday, and, while overall York was probably disappointing for us, we did have nine winners last week, so it is hardly a crisis."
Reflecting on Libranno's defeat in the Morny, where Richard Hughes looked on a loser from two furlongs out, Hannon added: “He never fired as he had done in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood, but this is not a lucky race for us - remember Canford Cliffs got beat last year - so it’s probably best forgotten. We'll freshen him up for something like the Middle Park."
Home comforts are always welcome and Memory (pictured), unbeaten in three starts and market leader for next year's 1000 Guineas, pleased in her build-up to the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday. “Hughesie was really pleased with Memory, and, though the filly messed about at home in the spring, she has become so much more professional,” Hannon said. “She’s fresh and raring for another race, so Sunday cannot come quick enough.”
Except that the previous day Hannon may run Date With Destiny in the Group Three Prestige Stakes at Goodwood. The only living foal of George Washington, who cost 320,000gns, was impressive winning maiden her first time out at Newbury last month but now comes the time to find out if she is worth that price tag. “Date With Destiny breezed on Saturday and could not be in better form. She has done well since her debut, and the plan is to take her to Goodwood on Saturday for the Prestige Stakes.
“We’ve entered her for the Fillies’ Mile at Ascot next month and that’s still on the table, but Goodwood is the natural progression and we’ll see how we get on there. She has a smashing temperament and looks to have gears, too, so, while we’ve tried not to get too excited and played down things before Newbury, we do like her a lot.”
If Date With Destiny finds the gears the Hannon juggernaut will be back to full speed.
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