Beating the odds is nothing new to Jessica Harrington, who will bid to be the first woman to train a Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner at the Curragh on Sunday.
Sprewell represents Harrington in the 158th running of Ireland’s premier classic but has a mountain to climb to reverse Epsom Derby form with Aidan O’Brien’s hot favourite Auguste Rodin.
The latter is a 1-3 shot with some firms to become the 19th horse to complete the Epsom-Curragh double.
However, Harrington’s pioneering career underlines her capacity for breaking new ground and the 76-year-old, who has been fighting breast cancer in recent months, is up for the fight.
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Sprewell was a slightly unlucky fourth at Epsom and has seven lengths to make up on Auguste Rodin, one of a handful of Ballydoyle entries among the 11 horses left in the Derby at Tuesday’s acceptance stage.
Also remaining is the John Murphy-trained White Birch, third at Epsom, while O’Brien’s sons Joseph and Donnacha could be represented by Up And Under and Proud And Regal respectively.
“You’re always hoping. You don’t go into those races thinking, ‘I’ll be grand being second.’ I want to go in there thinking, ‘I’ll be grand if I can win,’” Harrington said on Tuesday.
“He was unlucky at Epsom. He was in the right position at the right time but, three fancied horses in front of him, stopped dead for various reasons. He just got brought back and had nowhere to go.
“There are always bad luck stories at Epsom but you’ve got to get over it and get on with the next race. He’s got a great attitude and if you’ve got an attitude like that it does help,” she added.
A positive outlook has underpinned Harrington’s fight against ill health in recent months.
“We’ve got through it all and I’m feeling great now, really good. I think I’m nearly back to normal because I’ve got my energy back now.
“I’m lucky I’ve got through it all and that’s the main thing. I’m only looking forward, not back. Keep looking forward to what you are going to do and don’t be looking back.
“It’s very easy to look back and get negative so you want to keep looking forward,” she said.
“What motivates me is that I like succeeding, I like winning, doing well and I like to get better at what I do.
“Having had the cancer, I’m probably more focused now and wanting to do things. In a way it raised the question that you could get ill and then the answer was that I’m going to beat this. That makes you want more because that keeps you going.
“I hoped that if I talked about it other people would too, instead of pushing it under the carpet and going about their treatment with their heads down.
“My attitude was to go about the treatment, and that I’m going to beat this.
“There are an awful lot of things left on my list to achieve. The Irish Derby is definitely one of them, that’s on the bucket list as it were,” added the trainer based in Moone, Co Kildare.
Harrington already has a pair of Curragh classic victories under her belt. Alpha Centauri landed the 1,000 Guineas in 2018 while Magical Lagoon was victorious in last season’s Oaks.
It is only 18 years since Frances Crowley became the first woman officially licensed to train an Irish classic winner after Saoire landed the 1,000 Guineas.
Earlier this month there was a similar landmark moment in American racing when Jena Antonucci became the first woman to saddle a winner of a US Triple Crown race when Arcangelo landed the Belmont Stakes.
Sprewell and White Birch are 5-1 joint-second favourites with some firms for Sunday’s classic.
[ Jessica Harrington remaining positive during breast cancer treatmentOpens in new window ]
The dual-champion apprentice Dylan Browne McMonagle will team up with White Birch for the first time and is looking forward to a first Derby ride.
“I think the Curragh will suit him well. He’s a bit awkward away from the gates, but I think if it happens again, we won’t be worrying because in the Curragh you have got plenty of time to get into it,” said the 20-year-old Donegal rider.
“There’s a long straight there, so hopefully he has got a live chance and can run a big race.”
Auguste Rodin will try to provide Ryan Moore with a maiden Irish Derby success and could be joined by both Adelaide River and San Antonio.
“The plan at the moment is to run the horses that ran in Epsom,” Aidan O’Brien said.
The sole cross-channel entry left in the Derby is Ralph Beckett’s Salt Bay. Last on his only start of the season at Newmarket in May, he remains in the mix to represent the trainer, who saddled last year’s winner Westover.
