The sun shone on the Curragh’s bright new administrative set-up as Ireland’s 2016 flat campaign got under way at HQ with a noticeably hotter tempo to Aidan O’Brien’s traditional post-racing gallops workouts.
Air Force Blue, the overwhelming 2,000 Guineas favourite, was among a team of 50 horses from Ballydoyle availing of drier than usual ground conditions for the time of year and 2015’s champion two year old looked in good health finishing in the middle of 10 horses working over an extended seven furlongs.
Seamus Heffernan rode both Air Force Blue, last year’s champion two year old filly, Minding, as well as the Breeders Cup heroine, Found, in a series of gallops which saw Joseph O’Brien divert from his own training duties to team up with both Shogun and Sir Isaac Newton.
Pat Smullen was drafted in to ride a couple of horses although those hoping to see Kieren Fallon, on his return to Ireland, team up again with his old boss were disappointed.
“Seamus was very happy with Air Force Blue. We have five weeks to the Guineas and he’ll go straight there. He cruised up there lovely through the middle of them and we’re happy where we are with him,” O’Brien said afterwards.
“It was a bad winter but the horses are forward enough to be going forward. Hit It A Bomb (Breeders Cup winner) has done very well and could go for the French Guineas while Dick Whittington (Phoenix Stakes winner) will probably stay sprinting.
“We’re looking at the English 1,000 Guineas with Minding. She probably wouldn’t want the ground like concrete there. Ballydoyle might go for the French Guineas. Found might be back here for the Tattersalls and could take in the trial (Mooresbridge Stakes) on the way,” the champion trainer explained.
On the actual racing front, the first meeting run under the Curragh’s new structure which wound up 225 years of sole Turf Club ownership in return for the financing of the planned €65 million redevelopment saw local trainer Paul Deegan saddle an Irish Lincolnshire 1-2 led by Sruthan.
For the second year running Aussie Valentine had to settle for the runner up spot in a €100,000 handicap highlight that saw Ashraf start an 11/4 favourite and finish last. Dermot Weld’s horse coughed afterwards.
“Men spend their lives trying to win the Lincoln so it means a lot to win again,” said Deegan who also saddled Big Robert to win the race in 2010. “This is a proper Group Three horse and maybe this is his time of year. We could look at something like the Gladness again.”
Sruthan’s jockey Chris Hayes will be on board Sole Power when he defends his Al Quoz Sprint title in Meydan this Saturday and the rider enjoyed an opening day double as the top weight Awtaad ran away with the preceding seven-furlong handicap by five lengths to earn a ticket for the Irish 2,000 Guineas in May.
Another Curragh trainer, Patrick Prendergast, was pleasantly surprised after the first Group race of the season, the Lodge Park Stud Park Express Stakes, fell to the 16/1 Queen Blossom.
One of just two three year olds in the race, she came through late to beat the favourite Devonshire by a length under Fran Berry.
“I would have been very happy with third and some bold type. I have her in the Irish Oaks and she wants further but I knew it would be a hard mile in that ground so we chanced her. She’s so honest and three year olds get a quite significant pull at the weights,” Prendergast said.
The first two-year-old contest of the season went to the 25/1 outsider Mister Trader who gave trainer Darren Bunyan just his 12th career winner while Dermot Weld’s Embiran earned a Tetrarch Stakes ticket after a smooth win in the three-year-old maiden.
A decade after riding Dylan Thomas to Irish Derby glory for Ballydoyle, Kieren Fallon was back at HQ for the first time in three years in his new capacity as jockey to Michael O’Callaghan. He rode three without success although the newcomer Atlas was prominent for a long way before fading out of the money behind Embiran.
