Moore Ducks In A Row

With the upcoming Irish and Aintree Grand Nationals yet again taking place in the same week, expect more soul-searching about whether or not the Fairyhouse feature's traditional Easter Monday date is a positive or a negative. In purely racing terms an argument can be made the Easter connection is a minus: the practical reality however is that it is the race's most important plus.

It's curious how the Irish National is for many the single most coveted National Hunt prize in this country yet if it were moved from its Easter Monday slot to a fixed Sunday date there is a good chance it could quickly become just another big-money handicap chase.

Just as the big fences and the famous lottery element are Aintree's selling point, it is primarily the Easter tradition which is the Irish National's 'USP.'

It's what makes the race an event, allowing it to make an impact outside of racing's narrow parameters. Any proof required for that pudding need only remember how the Irish National was the sole domestic event to feature among Paddy Power's top-twenty turnover races last year.

That could have been aided though by the calendar fates which saw Fairyhouse's National run sixteen days after Liverpool in 2014. The same gap occurred in 2011 with Organisedconfusion's win. But 2013, 2012 and 2010, which had the same five-day gap as this year happened between the two big races, were three years that threw up a trio of long-priced winners, Liberty Counsel (50-1), Lion Na Bearnai (33-1) and Bluesea Cracker (25-1) - coincidence maybe?

What's hardly disputable though is that the Irish National can't compete with Liverpool in terms of prestige, especially now that Aintree's fences have been modified to such an extent that the fear factor about risking a quality horse there has all but disappeared.

That has been emphasised once again by how Gallant Oscar, currently the ante-post favourite for Fairyhouse, is nevertheless being pointed resolutely at Aintree despite needing a sizable dollop of luck in terms of horses coming out of the Liverpool race before being assured of a place.

In an ideal world, presumably the horse could run in both and no doubt those charged with scheduling would appreciate not having to factor the religious calendar into their programming considerations. The impact of a late Easter on Punchestown for instance can be considerable. That's a big-picture concern however, with all the different agendas that entails.

For Fairyhouse, and the Irish National, the Easter Monday date is likely to continue to be sacrosanct.

When working out next week's race however it might be worth keeping in mind how the last horse to successfully carry 11st or more was Commanche Court back in the year 2000. And it is twenty years since the last topweight scored, the 12st carrying Flashing Steel.

Both those horses were Gold Cup class performers, and it is increasingly rare for such quality to line up in the Irish National: which in turn probably makes that Easter date even more important given the widespread suspicion that quality on the track is only a marginal consideration when it comes to popular appeal in Ireland.

Begrudgery's popular appeal in Ireland means any sympathy for Joseph O'Brien in the struggle to get his weight under control before the flat season cranks into top gear may not be entirely unqualified. But even the most fervent Ballydoyle-sceptic surely recognises the scale of the task he faces in getting weight off a frame already shorn of excess.

Jockeys who have gone through it insist the challenge is actually more mental than physical and many of them were a lot more mature than twenty one. If O'Brien is significantly heavier than last season - and not being able to do 9.5 at the weekend is not an encouraging sign - then getting himself down to 9st is a herculean task that could ultimately do the young man more harm than good.

Not surprisingly the O'Brien camp are not ruling anything in or out just yet but sometimes when it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it really is a duck so signposts pointing to Ryan Moore's eventual assumption of the Coolmore role look to be on the mark.

It's an obvious fit, for both sides: the most powerful stable in Europe and the jockey widely acclaimed as the best anywhere in the world. In fact Moore's status is so singular right now that he may be the one dictating terms, something which could allow him to have the pick of Ballydoyle without being tied down exclusively to it.

That might not be ideal for the powers that be in Tipperary but what Moore offers is the certainty of a proven top-professional at the peak of his powers who automatically brings reassurance that no better can be done to cover the riding base in what is such a huge-scale commercial operation.

As for O'Brien Jnr, maybe that hurdles ride at Limerick really is a sign of things to come, or maybe training is a long-term ambition: maybe even both - it's not like such a thing is unprecedented.

And finally, congrats to the Sole Power team for their perseverance after Ireland's Horse of the Year broke his Al Quoz Sprint duck at the fifth time of asking. And thanks to the Meydan timing system it's possible to see how Sole Power won not by quickening but by decelerating slower than the opposition.

A final 57.2 second winning time included Sole Power clocking 13.8 for the first furlong from a standing start, followed by 10.7 for the second furlong, which over the minimum trip is invariably the fastest, and then 10.3, and 11.1, with 11.9 for the final furlong.

The hard stats indicate just how misleading the old line about horses quickening up can actually be. Often it's simply a case of a horse slowing less slowly than the opposition.