RACING: IT IS 10 years since Johnny Murtagh experienced Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe success on Sinndar but there appears to be renewed confidence that the champion jockey can mark that anniversary in style with another Arc victory on Fame And Glory this Sunday.
Final arrangements for Europe’s most important all-aged contest have yet to be drawn up at Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle powerhouse and there remains a very real chance the Irish Champion Stakes and Irish Derby hero Cape Blanco will accompany Fame And Glory to the Arc.
“We will decide during the week. It is certainly possible Cape Blanco will run as well but nothing definite has been decided yet,” said O’Brien who has, however, indicated that Murtagh is likely to end up on board Fame And Glory at Longchamp.
The 2009 Irish Derby winner finished sixth to his old nemesis Sea The Stars in last year’s Arc but has had Europe’s richest race as his target throughout a four-year old campaign that has already yielded Group One victories in the Coronation Cup and the Tattersalls Gold Cup.
Significantly a drift in ante-post betting markets in recent weeks appeared to be arrested yesterday with the Irish star now an 11 to 2 second favourite with Betfair behind Behkabad.
“Confidence and confirmed running plans are decidedly short in some of the market leaders but at least Fame And Glory supporters can take heart from the renewed interest in him,” a Betfair spokesman said.
Should O’Brien – an Arc winner also with Dylan Thomas three years ago – give Cape Blanco the green light to run in Paris too, a valuable spare ride will be available although Séamus Heffernan was on board for the colt’s impressive success at Leopardstown at the start of the month.
Just six Irish trained horses have won the Arc – Ballymoss (1958), Levmoss (1969), Alleged (1977 and 78), Sinndar (2000), Dylan Thomas (2007) and Sea The Stars last year.
Sunday’s star-studded Group One card has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Irish horses over the last decade in particular with O’Brien landing the Prix Jean Luc Lagadere seven times already in his career.
The champion trainer also won the Prix Marcel Boussac, France’s top race for juvenile fillies, five years ago with Rumplestiltskin, and could return for that race this time with either the Moyglare winner Misty For Me or Look At Me who impressed on her Fairyhouse debut.
Misty For Me also holds an entry in Friday’s Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket, a meeting where Samuel Morse is also one of three Ballydoyle entries for the Middle Park Stakes.
Sunday’s Longchamp card has seven Group One events and although the €4 million Arc is the centrepiece, there will also be an Irish focus in the five-furlong Prix de l’Abbaye where Eddie Lynam’s 100 to 1 Nunthorpe winner Sole Power is due to line up.
The accent will be on jumping at Gowran Park this Saturday where the featured Grade Two Gowran Park Champion Chase attracted just eight entries at yesterday’s five-day forfeit stage.
Glencove Marina is the standout name among the eight and could have his first start for new trainer Eoin Griffin. The former Grade One-winning hurdler was with Willie Mullins and completed a comeback from serious injury last season with an impressive success at Navan in March.
Mullins rated Glencove Marina a potential Gold Cup prospect and he is clear of Archie Boy on official ratings for this weekend’s two and a half-mile contest.
Big Game Hunter decision appealed
BOTH TRAINER Mouse Morris and Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary have appealed against the disqualification of Big Game Hunter at Clonmel on Sunday.
Big Game Hunter, who races in the colours of O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud, was first past the post in a maiden hurdle, beating High Magic by a head.
However, the 6 to 5 favourite was judged to have caused interference to the runner-up in an incident before the last flight of hurdles and was placed behind High Magic.
Big Game Hunter’s jockey Niall “Slippers” Madden wasn’t penalised by the Clonmel stewards.
In August trainer David Marnane successfully appealed to the Turf Club’s Referrals Committee against the disqualification of his Galway festival winner Separate Ways.
However, Jessica Harrington failed earlier this month in an appeal against another controversial disqualification at Galway when Magical Memoir was placed behind Days Ahead.
