Irish tanks have vacated the Cheltenham lawn, but a couple of others are set to park at Doncaster on Saturday when Britain’s 2024 flat campaign on grass gets under way.
Tipperary trainer Fozzy Stack has a unique double in his sights by saddling Chazzesmee for the historic Lincoln Handicap.
The six-year-old pulled off a gamble in the Irish Lincolnshire when Ireland’s turf season on the level began at the Curragh just five days ago.
Only one horse, Sweet Lightning, has won both mile handicap prizes in the past, scoring at Doncaster in 2011 before doing the double at the Curragh two years later.
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Johnny Murtagh rode Sweet Lightning at Doncaster and was heavily involved in his preparation two years later. He has his own stake in this weekend’s highlight with the other Irish hope Blues Emperor, but the focus is likely to fall on Chazzesmee’s chances of pulling off a significant feat in a single week.
It’s part of a curious flat racing hiatus between Cheltenham and next week’s €1.5 million Easter festival at Fairyhouse featuring the €500,000 Boylesports Irish Grand National.
Talk of starting stalls and draw might jar on the back of a winter’s jumping action. However, the scale of the challenge facing Chazzesmee and Blues Emperor is reflected in how it is 40 years since the last Irish winner, Dermot Weld’s Saving Mercy.
It’s a statistic that might have deterred Chazzesmee’s breeder, legendary gambler Barney Curley, although a 5lb penalty for what ultimately proved to be an authoritative success earlier this week could also have tempted him into taking on the bookmakers.
What seems clear is the horse is making up for lost time in a comparatively scanty 10-race career to date. It included a year on the sidelines having fractured his pelvis in 2021. He finished runner-up to Blues Emperor at the Curragh on just a single start on turf last year.
“It’s kind of a shot to nothing, he’ll either be there or thereabouts, or they’ll be sending out a search party for him,” said Stack. “It’s hard to know with the short turnaround, but it’s a good pot, so it’s worth a chance.”
Group One-winning jockey Joey Sheridan again does the steering on Chazzesmee, who breaks from stall three, but Stack has snapped up veteran rider Séamus Heffernan for his sole runner at Naas on Sunday.
Sylkie dons first-time cheekpieces in a handicap as Heffernan rides three horses for three different trainers in his new post-Ballydoyle career.
The jockey, who became the sport’s ultimate number two through nearly three decades working for Aidan O’Brien, might normally expect to have been busy on Sunday evening if Ballydoyle’s top Classic prospects, including City Of Troy, get the chance to gallop after racing.
It depends on the weather playing ball, however, with officials monitoring the ground situation at Naas. It was fit to race on Friday but up to 9mm of weekend rainfall is forecast.
With Ryan Moore in action in Australia on Saturday morning, riding the favourite Storm Boy for the world’s richest two-year-old race, the $5 million Golden Slipper, Wayne Lordan is on domestic Ballydoyle duty.
The rider who missed the second half of last season after a dreadful Irish Derby spill has four rides to look forward to on Sunday’s Naas card.
They include topweight Military for the featured Irish Racing Writers Cliff Noone Memorial Madrid Handicap.
Last year’s winner Paddington went on to become a Group One star in 2023 while the Madrid was also won by another subsequent Classic hero, Awtaad, in 2016.
Military won his debut at the course in the style of a high-class colt, although very testing ground may not be ideal for him.
At the other end of the weights is Heavenly Being, a €525,000 half-sister to the Matron winner No Speak Alexander, who is 1lb “wrong” on ratings but shapes as likely to prove much better than a current rating of 80.
Joseph O’Brien’s recruit La Filomena cost €395,000 out of Jean Claude Rouget’s yard after securing some black type in France last year. She could be one to step up enough and land the Listed Devoy Stakes.
Portland is 108 rated in advance of Sunday’s mile conditions event but comes up against a pair that could prove rapidly progressive. Orderofthephoenix has a first run for new owners while Purple Lily is as low as 25-1 for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
