Considering the sprint division is widely regarded as Irish racing’s weakest, there is a notably strong triple challenge from Ireland for Friday’s Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes in York.
It is headed by the flying two-year-old filly Lady Iman, supplemented into the historic speed test for £40,000 (€46,000), to try to become just the sixth juvenile to win it. Kingsgate Native in 2007 was the last, while Lyric Fantasy in 1992 was the previous two-year-old filly to score.
It is an ambitious and comparatively rare tilt for youngsters to try to exploit a large weight allowance from their elders over the minimum trip. But as can be the way of such things, trends can quickly develop.
Two-year-olds won the Nunthorpe three times in four years between 1953 and 1956. Lady Iman is joined on Friday by another juvenile filly in Spicy Marg. Both get at least 22lbs from their seniors, which include Adrian Murray’s Arizona Blaze and She’s Quality from Jack Davison’s yard.
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The latter will be ridden by last season’s champion apprentice James Ryan, while David Egan is again on Arizona Blaze, who impressed so much on his last start at the Curragh.
His AMO ownership immediately pointed to the Nunthorpe, a race twice famously won by “Fast” Eddie Lynam through Sole Power in 2010 and 2014. York has been the target too for She’s Quality, who chased home Jm Jungle at Goodwood last time.
In contrast, Lady Iman’s trainer Ger Lyons could be said to have an ambivalent view on this Nunthorpe tilt.
Notably enthusiastic about ultimately pointing Lady Iman towards emulating her stable companion, Magnum Force, at the Breeders’ Cup later this season, he is bowing to ownership wishes by running her here.
Ryan Moore was more enthusiastic about it after guiding Lady Iman to Molecamb success at Goodwood. Having lost her unbeaten record when stretched to six furlongs, she relished the drop back to the minimum trip. Not many riders can manage 8st 2lbs, but 54-year-old veteran Joe Fanning takes over in the hot seat.
Whether Lady Iman is a Lyric Fantasy is debatable, but she may not need to be in a 17-runner contest where Australia’s Asfoora is top-rated on 114. She couldn’t win this a year ago when coming into it in better form.
The absence of a dominant talent such as a Dayjur or Oasis Dream was pointed to by the Arizona Dream team with Adrian Murray commenting: “He never runs a bad race and the sprint division is wide open this year. There’s no standout horse this season; all the big sprints are being won by different horses. Ours is one of the favourites, but it’s wide open.
“I was talking to Roger O’Callaghan [owner of star two-year-old Lady Iman] the other day and they are going to York because of that.”
Sole Power was famously a late challenger in run style. In contrast, all three Irish hopes on Friday conform to more traditional sprinting speed from the gate. Even as a three-year-old colt, Arizona Blue has to concede a whopping 25lbs to Lady Iman. Even over the minimum five furlongs, that’s a large ask, although one he might pull off.
There are no Irish hopes in the Gimcrack, although Aidan O’Brien will try to pull off his own junior victory in the Lonsdale Cup with Shackleton. The sole three-year-old has first-time cheekpieces and Wayne Lordan on his back, doing 8st 8lbs against Gold Cup hero Trawlerman.
O’Brien’s Expanded failed to fire in two Guineas in the spring and returns to action in Killarney’s Listed Ruby Stakes on Friday evening. The Ballydoyle runner in Killarney’s opener is Extravagant, who, as a sibling to the Ganay winner Cloth Of Stars, should relish a hike in trip for the Nursery.
