THE REFERRALS Committee of the Turf Club yesterday gave the horse Day Care a two-year racing ban after concluding he ran in a “flapper” race in Dingle last year under the name “Grey Way.”
Day Care’s owner Joseph O’Brien was cleared of being in any breach of the rules at yesterday’s enquiry but was ordered to pay Turf Club costs associated with the referral.
Day Care was found to have raced under a different name at Dingle on May 7th of last year and as a result has been disqualified from two subsequent placed efforts at Dundalk last October. His two-year suspension has been back-dated to September 15th.
Murtagh doubts Abbey's form
THE COMPLEXION of next Saturday’s Epsom Derby altered dramatically yesterday after a lacklustre morning work-out by the long-time favourite St Nicholas Abbey resulted in him being replaced at the top of many betting lists by his stable companion Jan Vermeer.
Last weekend’s Gallinule Stakes winner is now as low as 11 to 4, with St Nicholas Abbey on the drift after the latter failed to impress jockey Johnny Murtagh in a work-out at Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle yard.
“Johnny rode St Nicholas Abbey and thought he might not have shown the same sparkle that he showed on Tuesday morning,” O’Brien said.
“Therefore he won’t make his mind up what he rides in the Investec Derby until the middle of next week.”
The champion trainer has dominated the Derby betting with four horses for the last month, although just St Nicholas Abbey and Midas Touch have been definitely committed to Epsom.
Both Jan Vermeer and Cape Blanco still have the option of running in the following day’s French Derby.
A decision on running plans, and which colt Murtagh would ride at Epsom, had been expected on Monday but that now look like being deferred until closer to the big day.
However, a spokesperson for Ladbrokes, who had St Nicholas Abbey and Jan Vermeer as 3 to 1 joint favourites, said: “All the Ballydoyle momentum is with Jan Vermeer and at this rate it looks like he will go off favourite.”
Kieren Fallon is still hoping he might end up on board one of the Ballydoyle hopes at Epsom but the former champion jockey will definitely carry the Coolmore silks at Haydock this afternoon when he rides Bewitched in the Listed Sandy Lane Stakes.
The Charles O’Brien-trained daughter of Dansili steps up in class for the six-furlong event but was an easy winner of a handicap at Naas on her last start. She is one of just two fillies in today’s race for which Quarrel, third in last year’s Mill Reef Stakes, makes his first start of the season.
Today’s home action is at Navan where Carraiglawn, a half brother to the 2007 Irish Derby winner Soldier Of Fortune, will be fancied in the concluding maiden to go one better than when runner-up to Traos at Leopardstown.
David Wachman’s The Four Masters can be expected to improve on a debut fourth to Wave Of Applause in today’s two-year-old maiden, while Ghetto Gospel could still be enough ahead of the handicapper to complete a four-timer.
