Njord and Shane Foley (red and white) winning at the Curragh in June© Photo Healy Racing
ARGUABLY the current foremost dual-purpose trainer Jessica Harrington goes into today's Paddy Power Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh double-handed courtesy of Njord and Onlyhuman
Njord, the mount of Shane Foley, is 9-2 favourite with Paddy Power after twice finishing runner-up at the Galway Festival in the Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap and the Irish Stallion Farms EBF “Ahonoora” Handicap.
Assistant trainer Kate Harrington said: “He ran a great race over seven furlongs in the Ahonoora when things didn’t go quite right. He’s come out of both those races very well and he’ll relish a bit of dig.
“He’s certainly been very consistent for us, although he’s up to a mark of 104 and off 10 stone it’s a tough ask to go out and win a Paddy Power Irish Cambridgeshire, but hopefully he’ll go close.”
The current going at The Curragh is heavy on the straight course (after 20mm of rain since yesterday) which might be ideal for the ‘jolly’.
Onlyhuman, 11-1 with Paddy Power, also competed in that BMW Mile, finishing a very creditable third, having been well backed in last year’s Irish Cambridgeshire, only to finish last of the 25 combatants. He will be partnered by Tom Madden.
Ms Harrington continued: “He disappointed last year, but was third in the Mile at Galway and he’s come out of the run very well.
“To have a second, third and fourth [Tauran Shaman] in the BMW Mile was phenomenal and if we were to get a second and third in the Paddy Power Irish Cambridgeshire it would be absolutely brilliant.
“We just need one of them to go one better and I don’t mind which one of them it is!”
Kate Harrington rode many winners as an amateur including prestigious bumpers on Imperial Cascade in the Goffs Land Rover Bumper at the Punchestown Festival in 2009 and seven years’ later on Forge Meadow in the Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper at Fairyhouse’s Irish Grand National fixture.
Asked who she would partner given the choice, she replied: “If I was riding with my 3lb claim, I would go for Njord as he’s still going to be competitive off that mark and with 3lb off, he’d be there or thereabouts.”
Depending how the duo get on on Friday, there’s a chance they and Tauran Shaman might also be seen in the English equivalent Cambridgeshire at Newmarket on Saturday, September 26. Paddy Power has Njord chalked up at 20-1 for that heat, while Tauran Shaman is the same price and Onlyhuman 33-1.
Ms Harrington added: “We’ll see how the horses come out of this and let them tell us how they are. We’ll have a look at the ground and make plans later in the month.”
