Blaze Brightly can keep Murtagh quiet in nursery
Wednesday November 11 2009
The race to be this season's champion Flat jockey continues at Dundalk this evening, when both reigning title holder Pat Smullen and challenger Johnny Murtagh have decent prospects of visiting the winner's enclosure.
The good news for punters is that the track is offering free admission to patrons for its Wednesday fixtures this month, in an attempt to attract both regular and first-time racegoers.
Action commences with a nursery and considering Ger Lyons' excellent track record, it would be no surprise to see his Righteous Man step up on maiden form.
Title-chasing Murtagh will be in the plate as he continues his epic battle with Smullen for the title, but the Meathman's mount may have to give best to Blaze Brightly, which was second to Jamaayel in a competitive nursery at Leopardstown last week.
Smullen's best mount looks to be Senor Tommie in the closing 11-furlong handicap and he could well be worth waiting for.
Feature event on the card is the Dundalk Stadium Handicap over six furlongs, in which English raider Green Manalishi is the one to beat, despite having top weight.
The nap vote goes to Peter Casey's Inch Rebel in the penultimate contest. She relished the switch to this surface when landing good support here last month and while a 12lb hike looks plenty, she certainly has enough in hand.
John Oxx's Keraloun sets the standard in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, but there's better value to be had elsewhere. Fantando shaped well enough first time out and could take a hand, but Aidan O'Brien's Battleoftrafalgar may be the one to follow as Murtagh's partner was a close fourth to Dalkan at this venue last time.
O'Brien has made four entries -- Don Carlos, Joshua Tree, Banyan Tree and Mikhail Glinka -- for Saturday's 10-furlong Criterium de Saint-Cloud, the last Group One of the season.
Meanwhile, former Irish champion apprentice Cathy Gannon is to undergo surgery on her right shoulder next week, an operation that will halt her riding career for at least two months.
- Damien McElroy
Irish Independent
