Delegator is fancied for Irish 2000 gns!

Delegator faces O'Brien four in Irish Guineas


ANTE-POST favourite Delegator is set to take on a four-strong Ballydoyle army in Saturday’s Boylesports.com Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh.


Brian Meehan’s Stanjames.com 2,000 Guineas runner-up behind Sea The Stars earlier this month has been eased slightly in the market and is now 2-1 joint-favourite for the first Irish Classic of the season with the sponsors alongside Mastercraftsman, one of four Ballydoyle challengers going in search of the €228,500 first prize.



Last season’s dual Group 1 winning juvenile is joined by his stable companions Drumbeat, Hail Caesar and Viceroy Of India.



The field also includes the unbeaten Rayeni, Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial winner Recharge and last season’s Goffs Million hero Soul City with Derrinstown Derby Trial third Fergus McIver completing the line-up.



The course has received 35 millimetres of rain since Sunday and the going is officially described as heavy but only five more millimetres are expected between Thursday and raceday.

Dettori on Super Sleuth in Irish 1,000 Guineas


FRANKIE DETTORI will ride Stanjames.com 1,000 Guineas third Super Sleuth in the Boylesports-sponsored Irish equivalent at the Curragh on Sunday.

Dettori rode the Brian Meehan-trained filly to finish second in the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes at Newbury last month, but Martin Dwyer was on board at Newmarket.


Super Sleuth, supplemented for Sunday's race at a cost of €40,000, is one of 16 final declarations for Sunday's Classic.

Cuis Ghaire, runner-up at Newmarket, is one of three Jim Bolger representatives in the race. She will be joined by Oh Goodness Me and Duaisbhanna.

Again is favourite for the race and will be ridden by Johnny Murtagh in the absence of Heart Shaped, fourth in the 1,000 Guineas, because of heavy ground at the Curragh. Her trainer Aidan O'Brien runs the twice-raced maiden Totally Devoted.

David Wachman, trainer of Again, winner of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes last year, is seeking his first Classic win and will also be represented by Love Bird, Always Be True and Chintz.

Apart from Heart Shaped, the other fillies missing the race from the list of 21 acceptors on Tuesday are Aaroness, Cristal Island, Excellerator and Nashmiah.

Owner Poilin Good is keeping her fingers crossed Delegator will handle the testing conditions as he bids for glory in the Boylesports.com Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh.

Good's blue and yellow silks have already been carried to Classic success thanks to Holding Court's victory in the 2000 Prix du Jockey-Club at Chantilly.

An impressive victory in the Craven Stakes on his seasonal reappearance ensured Delegator was sent off favourite for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket but he had to settle for the runner-up spot behind Sea The Stars.

Good, who also bred the colt, felt the firm ground was lively enough for him at Headquarters and although he faces conditions at the other end of the scale on Saturday, his breeding suggests he should handle cut in the ground.

"We were absolutely thrilled with his performance at Newmarket. The horse ran a brilliant race and Sea The Stars is obviously an exceptional horse," said Good.

"I think we were beaten by a superstar on the day and the ground was a big no no for us. It was firm and the horse needs a bit of juice in the ground, so that went against him.

"He didn't pick up the same way as he did in the Craven so from that point of view we weren't disappointed at all. The horse has come out of the race very well and Brian (Meehan) is still very pleased with him.

"His sire Dansili has performed in soft ground and much of his racing career was in France where the ground normally has a bit of give in it.

"The progeny from my mare Indian Love Bird like soft ground as well, although on Saturday I think the ground is going to be exceptional.

"I don't think it is going to be suitable for anybody as it's heavy ground and my horse hasn't run on soft or heavy ground before, so it's a learning curve really.

"I'm hoping that he'll go well on the ground as his pedigree shows that he can do it, but we'll just have to wait and see.

"Delegator as we stand is very special. Brian Meehan thinks the world of him and the lads who ride him out think he's an exceptional horse," she told At The Races.

John Oxx's Rayeni comes into the race unbeaten after two juvenile starts, with jockey Mick Kinane looking forward to the ride.

"He needs soft ground, and it's going to be just about bordering raceable," Kinane said.

"Very few people will have encountered conditions as tough as they are going to encounter this weekend.

"I know my horse is going to handle the conditions, but we don't know if he is a Group One horse."

Richard Hannon's Soul City makes his first start of the campaign, having edged out Gan Amhras to win the Goffs Million at this venue last year.

The latter went on to finish third in the Guineas at Newmarket earlier this month.

"That run at the Curragh was a good run from him, and he also won his Group Three at Longchamp very well," said Richard Hannon jnr, the trainer's son and assistant.

"The ground shouldn't be a problem for him, and I wouldn't worry about it being his first run as he's plenty fit enough.

"We're not confident but we go there hopeful."

Aidan O'Brien is confident the testing conditions will not hinder the chances of Mastercraftsman, fifth in the Guineas at Newmarket earlier this month.

"The ground is not ideal for any horse, but Mastercraftsman won two Group Ones last year - one on firm ground and one on heavy ground - so he is a very versatile horse," said O'Brien.

"He is well. We've been happy with him since Newmarket and all the horses have been improving from their first runs, so we're hoping that is the case with Master."

Mastercraftsman is one of four O'Brien contenders for the Group One contest, with Drumbeat, Hail Caesar and Viceroy Of India all lining up for Ballydoyle.

"Hail Caesar is a horse we have always liked. He ran in a Group One last year and ran well and has run in two trials this year and run well, so he is in good form and we're hoping that he runs well," O'Brien continued.

Delegator drifts to 3/1 as Mastercraftsman tops the boards at 22/10!

Maybe we should take the 3/1??

Delegator team have grounds for confidence


CONFIDENCE on Friday remained high within team Delegator that the ground would not hamper the Stanjames.com 2,000 Guineas runner-up when he faces
Mastercraftsman in Saturday's Boylesports.com Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh.



All five of the Brian Meehan-trained three-year-old's starts have been at Newmarket, and not one on ground as testing as what the son of Dansili will experience in Ireland's first Classic of 2009. Connections believe it was that lack of ease in the ground that lost them the first British Classic of the year.

"You could tell from his stride that he wasn't entirely at ease on it," said Meehan.

"We'd feared that might be the case. I've been delighted with his preparation at Manton and as I've said all along, he's a very talented, exciting colt."

Delegator took the lead a furlong from home at Newmarket and hung left allowing Sea The Stars through to Group 1 glory. Just over four lengths adrift of the victor was
fifth-placed Mastercraftsman.

That was the Ballydoyle hopes first run of the season and trainer Aidan O'Brien hopes the son of Danehill Dancer can follow the same pattern as many of his horses this year and improve for that.

The four-time winner ground out the last of his two Group 1 successes at the Curragh over a furlong shorter than Saturday's mile in similarly testing conditions making him one of five contenders proven on the ground.

Stablemates Viceroy Of India and Hail Caesar, and Fergus McIver have all run with credit on heavy ground but only Drumbeat has won.

That victory is the son of Montjeu's sole taste of glory and he has been stepped up in trip since finishing 14 lengths adrift of stablemate Mastercraftsman here in September's Bank Of Scotland (Ireland) National Stakes but O'Brien feels the drop back in distance could bring an improved performance.


"He is a Montjeu but he has always shown plenty of pace at home, so we're dropping him back to a mile," said the trainer.


"He has form on heavy ground, and won his maiden and finished second to Fame And Glory in a Group 1 in France last year, both on testing ground."

Sea The Stars, winner of the English 2,000 Guineas, does not bid for the double but trainer John Oxx's hopes of claiming the only Irish Classic to have eluded him rest with dual winner Rayeni, who along with Soul City, has to overcome the alarming stat that not one of the past ten winners came into the race without a run.

Before the 2,000 Guineas Emily Blake bids to follow up her course-and-distance Group 3 win in the Tri Equestrian Stakes and Shadwell Middle Park Stakes winner Bushranger has his first run since his disappointing run in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita.

Shortly after the featured €400,000 Group 1 Rock And Roll Kid bids to go three better than he did over course-and-distance on his seasonal debut in the Boylepoker.com Premier Handicap at 4.20 and all eyes will be on Crooked Throw, who has not won since landing the 2008 Ladbrokes.com Irish Lincolnshire, again over course-and-distance.

Delegator and the July cup interests me...

Mastercraftsman stretched clear of his rivals to run out a hugely impressive winner of the Boylesports.com Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh.

Aidan O'Brien's colt was sent off the 6-4 market-leader having finished fifth in the English equivalent earlier in the month, and went to the front inside the final two furlongs as pacemaker Viceroy Of India dropped away.

Mastercraftsman's jockey Johnny Murtagh was hard at work but his rivals could not pick him up in the testing ground and the winner powered clear to score by four and a half lengths from Rayeni.

It was a fine effort from the runner-up on what was his first outing of the campaign, while Richard Hannon's Soul City ran a satisfactory race to finish third.

However, Brian Meehan's Delegator proved disappointing, travelling strongly towards the rear of the field before failing to pick up once push came to shove and was ultimately well held.

O'Brien said: "Obviously all the horses have improved for their first run and since Newmarket the horses have really started coming.

"Pat (Smullen) was very happy with him at Newmarket and said he really got going a furlong and a half out. We've been happy with him at home since and he showed today he is a great traveller and can quicken as well.

"Johnny said he won very easy today and we'd love to go to Ascot for the St James's Palace with him."

Murtagh added: "He's a very good horse and is very brave and tenacious. He has the heart and will to win which all good horses have."

Rayeni's trainer John Oxx said: "He's run well and was a little delayed getting his run as there were a few horses looking for the same gap.

"That was a big step up and two months ago if you'd told me he'd be second in a Guineas, I would not have believed you.

"Soft ground is important to him and we'll look at seven furlong and mile races in this country."

Hannon's assistant Richard Hannon junior said of Soul City: "He's run a super race considering it was his first run back and he's liked the ground.

"We've always thought he would end up a mile-and-a-quarter horse and that is what Richard (Hughes) said coming back in.

"It's hard to say what the plan will be but he will probably go a mile and a quarter. The French Derby is an option but that is another step up and I think I'd prefer to build his campaign up through the season."

Delegator's jockey Jamie Spencer said: "He didn't go in the ground and was never going at any stage."

All options, including the July Cup, are open for Delegator after his disappointing run in the Boylesports.com Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh.

Runner-up in the Newmarket version earlier this month, the Brian Meehan-trained colt could only beat one home on what was vastly different ground to the quick surface he had encountered at Headquarters.

Meehan said: "It was a disappointing run. Everyone went into the race blind on the ground and Jamie (Spencer) said after three furlongs that he wasn't comfortable.

"He is fine after the race and will head home on Monday morning. He ate up after and his temperature was good - he is a tough horse.

"He was beaten and it is disappointing but he has nothing to prove and ran a hell of a race at Newmarket.

"He may run at Ascot or we could wait to the autumn. I think he will stick to a mile, but he is in the July Cup and that is a possibility."