Steve Muses About The Whereabouts Of Alexios Komnenos
Alexios Komnenos is the horse who has finished nearest to the all conquering Churchill (Galileo) in the Aidan O’Brien-trained three-year-old’s streak of seven straight wins including the aforementioned Guineas’.
The son of Choisir (Danehill Dancer), purchased by Neil Werrett and partners in July last year, not only hasn’t raced since then but also holds no current feature race entries.
However there’s good news from the stable regarding the valuable colt’s recovery from a debilitating injury. The horse is back in full work and, all being well, will run in the Celebration Stakes (Listed, 1m) on Derby day at the Curragh on 1 July.
“We are happy with his progress so far after a long lay-off and hopefully we can have him right for the Curragh,” was the report last night from trainer James ‘Fozzy’ Stack who took over from his father Tommy who retired at the end of last year.
The colt picked up a severe infection in a hind suspensory ligament shortly before last year’s September National Stakes (Gr 1, 7f).
“The infection was deep-seated,” Stack said, “and the vets literally had to make an incision in the ligament, splitting a branch of his suspensory to get in to deal with it. I understand it was a highly unusual procedure and the focus of a special report being done now. The team at Fethard Equine Hospital did a great job with it.”
Stack said the colt was ‘lucky’ to survive the ordeal. “It was touch and go but he looks to be fine now. He’s been back in work since February but we’ve taken him along very slowly. The hope is he’ll be right for the first of July but it if we have to give him another couple of weeks then that’s fine. We’ve been very patient with him to now and won’t be changing that approach,” he said.
Alexios Komnenos, arguably, has the best form-line of any young horse in the UK and Europe, having finished second – by just a neck – to the dual Guineas winner Churchill (Galileo) at his second start in the Tyros Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) at Leopardstown.
Interestingly, the third placegetter in that Leopardstown Group Three was the Dermot Weld-trained Currency Converter (Exchange Rate) who hasn’t been since either. Currency Converter had won on debut beating a subsequent winner and fourth in the Tyros Stakes was the well performed King Electric (Elzaam).
Alexios Komnenos had scored a stunning debut win, at 50/1, at the Curragh on 26 June last year in which last weekend’s Prix du Jockey Club fourth Taj Mahal (Galileo), a brother to Guineas winners Glenegales and Marvellous, was an unplaced odds-on favourite.
The colt’s original trainer Tommy Stack, of course, was best known – before turning his hand to training – for winning the 1977 Grand National on the legendary Red Rum (Quorum) and he was champion National Hunt jockey in the UK in the 1974-75 and 1976-77 seasons.
Werrett’s acquisition is not the only Southern Hemisphere connections with this year’s European three-year-old crop.
Eminent (Frankel), fourth in the Derby (Gr 1, 1m4f) last weekend, was purchased for Sir Peter Vela by trainer Martyn Meade’s son-in-law Dermot Farrington.
Barney Roy (Excelebration), the runner-up to Churchill in the 2000 Guineas, was bred by Sun Stud after purchasing the Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Alina, then in foal with Barney Roy, for 65,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale.
Sun Stud also races National Defense (Invincible Spirit), who was second to the subsequent 2000 Guineas runner-up Al Wukair (Dream Ahead) in the Prix Djebel (Gr 3, 1600m) before failing to handle the ground in the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2100m).
The St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at the Royal Ascot meeting, on 20 June, is likely to see Barney Roy re-matched with Churchill while Eminent holds an entry for the Coral Eclipse Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) at Sandown on 8 July.