Irish racing returns with a taste of Australia
You may not hear Advance Australia Fair at Leopardstown tonight – although there is an Order Of Australia listed on the card – but there is set to be a true Australian flavour to the second Irish card back post Covid-19.
Russian Emperor (Galileo), the third foal out of four-time Australian Group 1 winner Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock), is set to jump as favourite in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (Gr 3, 1m 2f) tonight. He is one of the few Irish flat horses to have already raced this season, breaking his maiden over a mile at Naas at the first meeting of the term – just before the Covid-19 pandemic brought the country’s racing industry to a shuddering halt.
He will be aiming to join Aidan O’Brien’s assault on either the Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) or the Irish Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f), with the maestro set to send out a big team for both three-year-old features. And, unlike most of O’Brien’s team, he does not race in the Magnier, Tabor or Smith colours, instead sporting Laurie Macri’s registered silks.
“He won first time out this season at Naas and we think a mile and a quarter will suit him really well,” O’Brien told Racing Post. “He was still a bit green at Naas and he is learning all the time. The extra distance will help him and we think he’s a nice horse.”
O’Brien has won the Derby Trial with the likes of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells), Yeats (Sadler’s Wells), Dylan Thomas (Danehill) and Fame And Glory (Montjeu). High Chaparral was the last to progress to win the Derby at Epsom, while Fame And Glory was his most recent winner to also add the Irish Derby.
It could be a case of third time lucky for the Mark Kavanagh-trained super filly, who won the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and the All Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) as a three-year-old before adding the Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and the Caulfield Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) at five. She won ten of her 11 starts, her only defeat coming by a nose at the hands of promising stallion Dundeel (High Chaparral) in the Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m).
Her first foal Empireofthedragon (Galileo), formerly Yulong Dragon, is an unraced five-year-old who has changed hands a number of times. He started with O’Brien in Ireland before Yulong made the decision to bring him to Australia, putting him in the hands of Lindsay Park trainers David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig.
However, Racing Australia notes that he has changed hands a number of times since: first to Nathan Dunn, then to Barry Muddle, before joining Helen White’s Kyneton stable.
Foal two is named Pacific Ocean (Galileo), a winner of one of his six starts – a Navan maiden over a mile. He is yet to be seen as a four-year-old.
Russian Emperor is foal number three, while his two-year-old sister remains one of 20 Ballydoyle foals yet to be named.
Should Russian Emperor head to Epsom, he will be attempting to become the second consecutive Derby winner to be out of an Australian-bred mare. Last year’s Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck (Galileo) is out of Australian Group 3 winner Believe’n’Succeed (Exceed And Excel) – coincidentally, also trained by Kavanagh.
Atlantic Jewel, though, is not the only Australian Group 1-winning mare to be represented at Leopardstown tonight.
Three-time Group 1 winner Sea Siren (Fastnet Rock) will be aiming to become a stakes-winning producer herself when the Jessica Harrington-trained Celestial Object (Galileo) steps out in the Leopardstown Fillies Trial Stakes (Gr 3, 7f).
Celestial Object, rated a high single-figures chance in early markets, has won one of her four starts, which came in a maiden over this course and distance in October. She was far from disgraced when finishing fourth in Listed company a week later.
In her favour is likely firm ground, given she hasn’t struck anything firmer than a soft track in her career to date. Her dam was better on top of the ground and that gives her an opportunity in what appears a very strong race on paper.