RACING: Azamour is on course to run the Baileys Irish Champion Stakes but the Royal Ascot winner's trainer, John Oxx, admitted yesterday that the lack of a recent run is a worry ahead of the Leopardstown feature.
There are 18 days until the mile and a quarter Group One. But the time away from the track concerns Oxx. "It's not ideal going into such an event after such a long interval," the Curragh trainer said.
"It will be almost three months since he ran at Ascot and that's a bit of a worry. Such a gap is not what I would have planned and there is possibly a negative aspect to that. I just hope there will be enough edge there for Leopardstown."
Godolphin's King George winner Doyen and Irish Derby hero Grey Swallow are among those lying in wait and any lack of sharpness will be ruthlessly exploited. But Oxx remains satisfied he was right to withdraw Azamour from last week's Juddmonte International at York.
"It was clear as day in the first furlong of the first race," he said. "It didn't walk too badly but I was alarmed when I saw how deeply they were going into it. Mick (Kinane) rode in the first two races and he was concerned too so it was a straightforward option. Ultimately of course the race was won by a mile and a half horse."
Sulamani's Juddmonte defeat of Norse Dancer, with Bago the best of the three-year-olds in third, was a blow for the Classic generation's form. But Oxx won't mind that ahead of Azamour's first clash with older horses.
"Everyone loves to make comparisons but there isn't enough evidence there yet. Between now and the end of the season is when we will find out how good the three-year-olds are. Doing it now is a premature assessment," he argued.
The Grey Swallow team will probably echo such sentiments and the Derby winner's jockey Pat Smullen was upbeat yesterday about the colt's chances against older horses.
"His next race will be the Irish Champion and that will be quite difficult taking on older horses. But he has to have every chance," said Smullen.
"The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is the race the boss wants to win but the Irish Champion Stakes would not be a hard race to win either. There was a doubt about the trip before the Derby but if you can get a mile and a half at the Curragh you will get it anywhere. There's no doubt about that anymore," the rider added.
Despite that confidence the bookmakers believe Doyen is the one to beat at Leopardstown with Paddy Power installing the colt a 5 to 4 favourite to follow in the Godolphin footprints of Daylami, Fantastic Light and Grandera.
The day two feature at Tralee is the Listed Carlsberg Ruby Stakes which the three-year-olds have won for the last couple of years. Conditions look testing for younger horses. The likes of the Royal Whip fourth Trefflich have never seen ground like this.
Wathab is back at a mile after running in Saturday's Belgrave Stakes at the Curragh but preference is for Cache Creek.
The star jumper on show is the Galway Hurdle winner Cloone River who has a first start over fences in the Beginners Chase. He will again face Mirpour who ran third in the Ballybrit feature. Ground conditions will hardly be ideal for Cloone River which may be enough for Mirpour to win.
Aidan O'Brien gives Because, who is from the family of Quarter Moon and Yesterday, a debut in the mile and a half maiden where the opposition includes the Irish Oaks fifth Marinnette. She sets a 90 standard, but Wyola has a chance of improving for her Gowran debut to go close.
IRISH CHAMPION STAKES BETTING (Paddy Power) 5-4 Doyen, 4 Grey Swallow, 9-2 Azamour, 5 Mister Monet (with a run,) 6 Bago, 8 Rakti, 12 bar.
