RACING ROUND-UP:JOHNNY MURTAGH will be on duty at Leopardstown tomorrow, but he is at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai today and the Irishman will be hoping the long flight back to Dublin will seem a lot shorter with the world's richest race already in the bag.
Murtagh rides last year’s runner-up, Asiatic Boy, for South African trainer Mike De Kock in the $6 million Dubai World Cup, one of six races on a $21.5 million card that will be shown live on TG4.
Murtagh has mounts in all six races but the focus will be on the World Cup where stamina doubts surround the American ante-post favourite Albertus Maximus, winner of last October’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
In the absence of the 2008 winner Curlin, Murtagh is fancying his chances and said yesterday: “Our horse has a good barrier in four and everything is looking good for him.
“If he is as good as he was last year I think he will be fighting out the finish.
“Albertus Maximus looks good. I rode in the Breeders’ Cup he won and he quickened away well.
“There is a lot of talk about the 10 furlongs and hopefully we can put it up to him and stretch things.”
Tony McCoy travels to Navan this afternoon for the ride on Glenfinn Captain in the Grade Three Irish Form Book An Uaimh Chase where a combination of two and a half miles and decent ground look ideal for the Tom Taaffe-trained horse.
Glenfinn Captain’s defeat of Carthalawn at Gowran last time has been boosted since and this race looks a good opportunity for him to warm up for next month’s Gold Cup at the Punchestown Festival.
In the continued absence due to injury of Paul Carberry, Ruby Walsh teams up with Watson Lake in the An Uaimh but the champion jockey can get the better of Watson Lake’s horse’s stable companion, Aran Concerto, in the concluding novice chase with Deutschland.
