AIDAN O’BRIEN’S Found leads the betting for Sunday’s 1000 Guineas at the Curragh.
She beat stablemate and subsequent Fillies’ Mile winner Together Forever on her debut, was a close third in the Moyglare behind Cursory Glance and then beat the future French 1000 Guineas winner Ervedya easily in the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp.
In the Irish classification she was the top-rated juvenile, the first filly in 20 years to hold that honour. Rated 117 against Gleneagles’ mark of 116.
But Found had a troubled run ahead of Newmarket and eventually didn’t travel, and while she made her reappearance just a day after the Classic in the Athasi Stakes here at the Curragh, where she was just beaten by Iveagh Gardens. Watch that race again and again and it was ground and lack of a run that saw her beaten. Ryan Moore looked after and his handling of the filly then, will pay a dividend on Sunday afternoon.
Optimistically, some bookmakers have inserted her into their betting for the Epsom Derby, for which she would need to be supplemented. O’Brien also runs the promising Kissed By Angels (Joseph O’Brien) and Qualify (Seamie Heffernan).
Amazingly though, Ballydoyle don’t have a runner in the in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, the other Group One contest on tomorrow’s card.
As a consequence, Ryan Moore is able to continue his alliance with The Grey Gatsby. Yorkshire trainer Kevin Ryan expects his stable star to be ideally suited by the Curragh as the four-year-old returns to Ireland for the €250,000 extended 10-furlong contest.
The Mastercraftsman colt won the Dante at York, the French Derby at Chantilly and also lowered the colours of Australia in the Irish Champion Stakes during a stellar season last year.
He went out to Meydan for the Dubai Turf and though he finished second behind Solow over a trip slightly short of his best.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Al Kazeem won this race two years ago for Roger Charlton and James Doyle.
That was the first of a hat-trick of Group Ones for the son of Dubawi, who went on to land the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Eclipse at Sandown.
Three more meritorious performances followed at the highest level before he went off to stud, where he was found to be sub-fertile and returned to training with Charlton.
The Beckhampton handler deserves credit for bringing him back to his best as he was only narrowly beaten by Noble Mission (successful in this race a year ago) in the Champion Stakes at Ascot last autumn.
His two runs in France this season – he won a Group Two at Longchamp in April before finishing second to the ageless Cirrus Des Aigles in the Prix Ganay – suggest he retains all his ability at the age of seven.
Postponed won the Great Voltigeur last season and made a satisfactory return to action in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown when second to Western Hymn on ground softer than he cares for.
The Grey Gatsby will be very difficult to beat whatever the other pair of travellers threw at him. Weld’s Fascinating Rock has 13lb to find with the favourite.
