A blast from the past inspired a blast to punters' pockets when Mus-If held off the red-hot 7 to 4 on favourite Coliseum to win the Aga Khan Studs National Stakes yesterday.
Dermot Weld was saddling his fourth winner of the Group One contest, but it was the 1969 winner of this race to which he harked back. "My father (Charlie) trained Decies to win many years ago, and I remember him saying that if you have a fit, experienced horse and have confidence in him, then you put it up to the others," Weld said. "I thought of his words on the run-up to today, told Mick (Kinane), and he did the rest with a brilliant ride."
It certainly seemed to inspire Kinane, who rode Coliseum in his last race but yesterday exposed the long-striding favourite's possible lack of tactical speed. Kinane redeemed a bleak weekend for him by riding a waiting-in-front race and then kicking early in the straight.
Mus-If secured a couple of lengths' start, and when Coliseum eventually left the pack and began to make ground under John Murtagh, it was half-a-length too late.
Accusations that this may have been a weak Group One were diluted by Weld's assertion that the 2,000 Guineas would be on MusIf's agenda next year and that it may be the Newmarket 2,000 at that. When asked to compare the winner with the likes of Stravinsky and Orpen, Kinane said: "You can't compare them, but he was the top horse today and the change of tactics worked well." Significantly, Mus-If's winning time was almost two seconds faster than King Of Kings' last year.
Weld subsequently took the September Handicap with Social Harmony, who gave Niall McCullagh his first winner for the trainer in his first ride for him in 10 years. But Coliseum's trainer, Aidan O'Brien, didn't go home empty handed either.
Blue Lotus turned the five furlong maiden into a seven-length procession and looks a smart sprinter in the making, while Risk Material battled like a Trojan under a fine ride from Seamus Heffernan to win the Listed Doran Solonaway Stakes. "He has been busy and we may give him a break now," O'Brien said.
For the future, though, the winning debut of Tchaikovsky in the Pollardstown Maiden may have more significance. The Sadlers Wells colt only just got home by two short heads, but as O'Brien explained: "He was born in June and is only a baby. He's a lovely horse in the making."
The easiest winner of the day looked to be Try For Ever who absolutely cruised through in the Autumn Handicap to win by three lengths from Red Piper. Noel Meade will now send the winner for a hurdle at Listowel on Thursday.
Aidan O'Brien says his 2,000 Guineas favourite Stravinsky could run again this season.
Controversially beaten in Saturday's Prix Salamandre, where he was beaten by Aljabar and then placed last by the stewards, Stravinsky's defeat was put down to the ground by his trainer.
"He ran well and could run again this year. He is in all the big two-year-old races left. He's a speed horse as he proved with the way he picked up on Saturday, but the soft ground then got to him," O'Brien said.
