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| Fame And Glory |
John Murtagh was in London on Thursday to ask the British Racing Authority for leniency. His riding at Ascot had angered the stewards and he had received a five-day ban. Murtagh rode Kayf Aramis in the Ascot Stakes. The five-day suspension will run from July 1 to 5 and that would preclude him from riding Rip Van Winkle in the Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park on July 4. Rip Van Winkle was Murtagh’s mount in the Epsom Derby.
Jockey Murtagh lost his 500-pound deposit and lost a winning ride at Tipperary in Thursday’s twilight card. Rain Delayed, the half money favorite, was ridden K Latham. Murtagh said, “I am a little bit disappointed as I thought I had a good case. When I was given five days, I was blown away. I’ll have to make sure it does not happen again.”
Trainer John Oxx is yet to make a commitment on Sea The Stars to race in Sunday’s Irish Derby. “I will leave him in the declarations on Friday and wait until the last minute. I walked the Curragh and I was satisfied. If there is ease in the ground, it will be a worry.”
Sea The Stars was 4-6 until Thursday and is easing to even money in both the Irish and British markets. There are bullish statements coming from the Ballydoyle camp. Sea The Stars has an alternative and if he misses the Derby, the Eclipse is the next option.
Dublin is dry. It is warm. I took the tube from Warren Street to go to Green Park. At Warren Street, there is an escalator. At Green Park, I did not follow the signs to the Piccadilly line to go to Heathrow. I took the escalator to the ‘way out’ area and took the escalator going down to get to the platform. A step-free framework and it took me so long to figure it out. From Green Park, it is a 50-minute ride to Heathrow. A photo is taken of every passenger. A free drink of Pimm’s at the Duty Free shop was refreshing. Pimm’s is a gin-based drink.
It was a 50-minute flight from London to Dublin. I went to the tourism counter. I was a given a room at the Ripley Court Hotel on Talbot Street, off O’Connell Street, the main business area. Ripley Court is incredibly good.. The room is clean. There is coffee-making facility. Internet access is in the lobby. Friday morning breakfast was excellent. Eggs, toast, corn flakes, tomatoes, prunes and baked beans and coffee-very satisfying. I will go to a bookmaker shop opposite the hotel and watch the races there. I will go to the Curragh on Saturday and Sunday.
Look Here stood her ground in the Pretty Polly Stakes to be run at the Curragh on Saturday. A Hernando filly, Look Here was a laughing winner in the 2008 Epsom Oaks. She was in a three-horse photo in the Coronation Cup at Epsom this year. Ask won it from Youmzain and Look Here. The R M Beckett-trained Look Here will have Seb Sanders who flies in from London. The Pretty Polly is a ‘you win and you’re win’ event.
With no prospect of rain, there may be watering at the Curragh. It is a breathtaking racecourse. It is a vast expanse of land. The undulating Curragh is a true test of stamina and determination. In many ways, Curragh and Epsom are challenging tracks. On Saturday, I am a relying on the bus service and hope to get to the Curragh early so that I can go to the media centre to collect my credentials.
This is the first time that the Irish Derby will not have runners from England and France. The last time the Irish Derby did not have a runner from abroad was in 1957. Sea The Stars and the Aidan O’Brien team dominate the field this year.
Jamie Spencer rode Moneycantbuymelove to victory at Royal Ascot. Golden Stream, owned by the Queen and ridden by Ryan Moore, finished second. On Thursday at Warwick, Spencer rode Golden Stream to a start to finish win in the Queen’s colors. There was comment in the British press, “Spencer back in Her Majesty’s good books.’
There is an abundance of racing on Friday. Doncaster and Folkestone have racing in the afternoon. Market Rasen will hold a jumps card in the afternoon. Curragh has a program starting at 6 P M and it is the first day of the three-day Irish Derby festival. Chester, Newcastle and Newmarket hold twilight racing in England.
I will have a report and send it in before I go to the Curragh on Saturday. I took a 30-minute walk Friday morning. Enough to work up a sweat. I wanted to check out the bus stop from where I will board the bus to the airport next week. I am in the last leg of the European trip.
Friday is my birthday. There were phone calls coming to my hotel. I am blessed. I have watching CNN and watched all the news about Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.
