John O'Donoghue (left) © Photo Healy Racing
Curragh trainer John O'Donoghue is ending the Flat turf season on a bright note with three of his last seven runners having come home in front and Jareth a promising fourth on debut at Sligo, looks to have fair claims of adding to the stable's tally in the second race (2.30) at Thurles this afternoon.
Based in Currabeg Stables from where John Oxx sent out so many top-level performers, the Mallow man is looking forward to unleashing a new recruit at the weekend in the shape of Saltwell.
The four-year-old daughter of Australia, a dual winner at Clairefontaine last year before finishing Listed-placed at Longchamp, has an entry in the Listed Bluebell Stakes over 1m4f at Naas on Sunday.
"She came from Pia Brandt and had some nice runs in France," said O'Donoghue.
"She's sort of a 1m4f/1m6f filly and prefers a bit of ease. She is working nicely and we are looking forward to getting her going.
"I had wanted to run her in Listowel but it just didn't rain in time that week. We were sort of scratching our heads and I was always thinking Bluebell, and then maybe the Finale Stakes at the Curragh on the last day of the season, that's what we will aim at.
"She's a solid filly and hopefully she can recapture her French form, and that should be enough to get her into the frame on Sunday."
Saltwell is owned by Swedish native Sven Hanson and was bred by him under the Fair Salinia banner.
The latter, trained for Hanson by Sir Michael Stoute, was a star three-year-old middle-distance filly in 1978 when winning the Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks.
At the Curragh, she came home a length behind first-past-the-post Sorbus, trained by John Oxx Senior, but was controversially awarded the race after a stewards' enquiry before going on to beat Sorbus by a length-and-a-half on the Knavesmire.
Additional reporting by Michael Graham.
