RACING:SIMONSIG LOOKED a potential star of the future when spread-eagling a field of top point-to-point winners at Fairyhouse yesterday and there was no surprise when his Scottish owner, Ronnie Bartlett, turned down a €100,000 offer for the horse from the Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary.
A “deal or no deal” arrangement to buy whatever horse won the Irish Racing Post Champion Flat Race was offered by O’Leary but once Simonsig shot 13 lengths of his opposition that was never likely to be taken up.
“Do you want to put on another zero?” inquired Bartlett, head of the Albert Bartlett potato company that sponsor a big race at the Cheltenham Festival, before politely declining the offer. Even if O’Leary had, it is doubtful if any kind of deal could have been done.
“I could double it and Ronnie wouldn’t take it,” O’Leary said. “He’d hang on to the horse anyway, which is what you want in the game.”
Bartlett’s colours were carried to a 33 to 1 festival success by Zemsky last month and Simonsig’s Co Antrim-based trainer Ian Ferguson suspects the talented grey could be crossing the Irish Sea sooner rather than later. “He may move to a bigger trainer in England but that’s it for this season. He’s still a little weak and backward and he’s for the field,” he said. “I don’t think Ronnie would ever take the money. He’ll have some fun with him.”
Voler La Vedette was a gallant winner over Blackstairmountain of the Grade Two conditions hurdle yesterday but faces a significant date this morning. Recently covered by the top stallion Presenting, Voler La Vedette has a scan today to find out if she is in foal.
She battled really well yesterday as she was passed by Blackstairmountain after the last but responded well to Andrew Lynch to win by a length and a half.
“She is in the big two-mile and the big three-mile races at Punchestown next week. The three-mile looks the obvious one,” said her trainer Colm Murphy.
“Plan A worked – for a change!” joked Noel Meade after Prima Vista’s Grade Two triumph over the favourite Rathlin in the Rathbarry and Glenview Studs Novice Hurdle.
Despite a pair of costly mistakes at the final two flights, Rathlin got the better of a sustained duel with Dare To Doubt but he had no answer to Prima Vista’s sustained challenge down the outside under Paul Carberry.
“We didn’t send him anywhere and kept him for this place. I wasn’t sure what race to go for. I thought the two and a half miles might suit him better but we decided on this race,” Meade reported. “If he’s okay, we will look at Punchestown.”
The outsider Cruising Katie made a bold bid to land the Listed mares chase but had no answer in the closing stages to Coscorrig who provided some compensation to the Grand National runner-up Dessie Hughes.
“She might go to Punchestown for a handicap. Some mares can do that – turning out again so soon,” Hughes said.
David Casey pounced late on the veteran Un Hinged to deny Uncle Tom Cobley in the novice handicap chase while a fine jump at the final fence secured success in the concluding handicap chase for Paul Nolan’s Arklow Ger.
The Fairyhouse figures made for pleasant reading as the Irish Grand National saw a 16 per cent increase in its attendance yesterday, with a crowd of 15,196 up from last year’s 13,127.
Tote turnover was also marginally up from last year’s €404,123 to €418,282.
Bookmaker turnover of just over €1 million was up €126,160 on 2010 with the National generating €189,466.
