RACING:SEVILLE MAY be the apparent number two pick of Aidan O'Brien's runners in today's Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, but that billing hasn't prevented past Ballydoyle stars from landing the final Group One prize of the year in Britain and Ireland.
O’Brien is chasing a sixth success in the prestigious race which sees a strong Irish team pursuing victory in the 50th renewal of the mile event.
A win for Casamento or Dunboyne Express would be momentous for their trainers, Michael Halford and Kevin Prendergast, and they have dominated the betting this week against a home team apparently led by the unbeaten Native Khan.
Halford is chasing the first top-flight prize of his career with Casamento, who will have Frankie Dettori on his back for the first time.
But Prendergast has family ties to this race as his legendary father, Paddy, won it twice in three years with Noblesse (1962) and Hardicanute (1964).
Yesterday the veteran trainer reported: “I’ve never had a runner in the race but I definitely remember my father winning it with Noblesse.
“Dunboyne Express had an infection in his leg which kept him off, but I think he’s straight enough. There’s usually something sticking off the page in this race, but not this year.”
Punters up to now, however, have plumped for the Beresford winner Casamento as their stick-out horse, and Halford is anticipating a bold show.
“Right from the very first day he worked he showed something. We’ve always liked him. We’ve been very pleased with him, everything has gone great and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“I have a lot of respect for the opposition. Dunboyne Express looked impressive earlier in the season and I hear they are very sweet on him.
“The team at Ballydoyle are always very strong. They have a great record and I believe their horses are working well. But I’m very happy with our own horse and I wouldn’t swap him,” he added.
Ballydoyle’s record in this race goes back to Apalachee in the early 1970s, but Aidan O’Brien has been dominant since Saratoga Springs first won for him in 1997.
The subsequent dual-Derby and dual-Breeders Cup hero High Chaparral won in 2001, but he was the stable’s second-string that year behind the odds-on Castle Gandolfo.
The 1999 winner Aristotle was also number two behind Zentsov Street when he won.
Johnny Murtagh has plumped for Master Of Hounds this time, and although he hasn’t run since July, his form ties in with both Roderic O’Connor and Dunboyne Express.
In contrast, Seville only made his debut a month ago when runner-up to the highly-rated Dubai Prince at Gowran. He followed up in style at Tipperary shortly afterwards.
The son of the all-powerful Galileo will be ridden by Colm O’Donoghue, who hasn’t ridden a Group One winner in Britain but whose top-flight pedigree was added to by Joshua Tree in Canada last weekend.
“He’s open to improvement and he’s a lovely, uncomplicated horse,” O’Donoghue said.
That Gowran maiden could yet end up being a key form indicator, as the third horse, Obligation, has won since too, and the fourth horse was all of 14 lengths behind the first three.
Today’s Doncaster opener sees Navan trainer Liam McAteer run the in-form That’s A Fret under jockey Robert Winston, while Jim Dreaper runs Retrievethelegend in a handicap chase at Liverpool.
Wexford begins a weekend of action this afternoon and the high-class Lenabane can make a successful return to action in the featured conditions chase.
Paddy Flood and Dessie Hughes combined for a winner at Thurles on Thursday and Lenabane’s best form last season saw him finish only half a dozen lengths off Burton Port at Aintree.
He is 7lb well in officially with the Munster National runner-up Fisher Bridge, and this trip and track should be no problem.
Henry De Bromhead is wasting no time putting Spill The Beans over fences after the five-year-old won the third of his three hurdle starts at Tramore last time.
