The Curragh has one more fixture before it hosts the second leg of the second 'Champions Weekend' in three weeks time, a potential date for Herald The Dawn whose admirable Group Two victory at HQ's 'Trials Day' couldn't disguise how important a role fluctuating weather can have in what happens both on and off the track.
Aidan O’Brien needs no reminder of how unpredictable conditions can be having seen three Group One options removed from Gleneagles this summer due to unsuitably slow ground.
Now he hopes to run the dual-Guineas hero in the opening ‘Champions Weekend’ meeting at Leopardstown but anyone presuming on a mouth-watering Irish Champion Stakes clash between Gleneagles, Golden Horn, Cirrus Des Aigles, Free Eagle & Co got more than one cold shower yesterday.
Just three days after firm ground required watering at the track, the Curragh got over an inch of rain that turned the going ground soft and resulted in over 20 non-runners due to the change in going.
It was touch-and-go whether or not O’Brien’s Galileo Futurity Stakes favourite Shogun would be a late addition to that list but he took his chance and never looked comfortable, struggling home third of four behind Herald The Dawn.
Closing stages
Jim Bolger’s youngster overhauled the filly Now Or Never in the closing stages, earned 20-1 quotes for next year’s 2,000 Guineas and holds an entry in another Group One his illustrious brother Dawn Approach won, the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, back at the Curragh in 20 days time.
“The wheels were spinning on the ground. Basically he’s a good ground horse but overcame that adversity today,” said Bolger. “We have options for him in Ireland, England and France.”
Wherever he goes, Herald The Dawn’s proven versatility in terms of ground will be a plus going into a northern European Autumn where conditions can change so quickly.
The Curragh manger Paul Hensey acknowledged how weather can scupper the most careful of plans but is nevertheless confident the ‘Champions Weekend’ concept can be built upon further after 2014’s widely praised inaugural festival.
“It’s a bit like a band with that difficult second album but we’re very hopeful.
“If pre-bookings are any guide we should beat last year’s attendance (almost 11,000) and a number of top class horses are targeting both here and Leopardstown,” he said. “The unknown is the weather and a lot depends on it crowd-wise.”
Ground conditions for the Sussex Stakes, the Prix Jacques Le Marois and last week’s Juddmonte International were all deemed too soft for Gleneagles and O’Brien is keeping his fingers crossed Leopardstown will provide some fast going.
“It’s a bit of a worry he’s been trained three times (without running) but he’s grand and we hope to go to Leopardstown if it is quick,” said O’Brien.
Next start
He was speaking after Found earned 14-1 quotes for October’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with a silky-smooth performance in the Group Three Royal Whip Stakes which her stable companion Ol’ Man River skipped due to the going.
O’Brien will choose between the Irish Champion Stakes and the following day’s Prix Vermeille on Arc Trials day at Longchamp for Found’s next start but adaptability with ground will be a major plus.
“We always thought she was crying out for more than a mile but we were always planning to take our time until the Autumn,” said O’Brien.
With 8.12 on her back, Séamus Heffernan took the reins on Found and he doubled up on another odds-on Ballydoyle hotpot Order Of St George who turned the Irish Leger into a rout. Order Of St George is now a 5-1 shot for the Doncaster St Leger although, naturally enough, O’Brien’s Leger plans for England and Ireland could revolve around the weather.
“This horse handles an ease while the horse that ran in York (Great Voltiguer runner up, Bondi Beach) likes good ground.
“The ground could determine where they go, but if it was okay, they could possibly both go to Doncaster,” he said before forgiving Shogun’s lacklustre effort in the feature.
“We took a chance on the ground but he’s by Fastnet Rock out of a Galileo mare so that’s a double-whammy. With the benefit of hindsight maybe I shouldn’t have run him. Joseph (O’Brien) said he knew after two furlongs he was in trouble.”
An Siaghduir thrived in the conditions to secure a ninth career success in the six furlong handicap and could now take another crack at the upcoming Ayr Gold Cup.
