Sinndar stormed to victory in the Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday and collected a $1million bonus from sponsors Budweiser along the way.
The John Oxx trained colt looked in trouble approaching the straight but responded in the style of a true champion to power home by nine lengths. The handicapper was not as impressed as many observers, raising the dual Derby winner by only three pounds to a new mark of 128. This leaves Sinndar seven pounds inferior to Montjeu on ratings. With the pair set to lock horns later in the season, all will be revealed in the fullness of time.
Betting on the Derby broke all records with bookmakers holding #624,258. The victory of the strongly supported favourite ensured that most of that sum found its way back out of their satchels.
Michael Kinane had another Derby weekend to forget. The champion jockey, who has had so many near misses in the Curragh showpiece down the years, failed to make the line up having pulled a muscle in his back the day before. Not only did he lose out on his share of the #85,000 earned by his intended mount Ciro in the feature, he would have ridden an opening race double on two impressive 2-Y-Os, Mozart and Honours List.
Another notable absentee was Tony O`Hehir. The ace commentator is recovering at home from a recent illness and best wishes are sent from all his colleagues at the track.
The Derby on Sunday broke new ground as is was the first race ever run on which punters in both Britain and Ireland could bet into the same Tote pool. Up to now, legal restrictions have prevented such cross-border cooperation. Long term, this initiative will benefit everyone. Larger pools and the opportunity to take advantage of Jackpot and Placepot carryovers are just some of the obvious pluses.
Kilbeggan on Monday saw an unusual incident when five riders rode a finish with a circuit to go in a three-mile handicap hurdle. Not surprisingly all five finished down the field and were subsequently suspended by the stewards. The two-day bans given to each offender do, however, seem light for such a serious error of judgement. Cast your mind back to January last year when Paul Carberry made a similar error aboard Sallies Girl at Naas. In Carberry`s case, he thought he had an extra circuit to race and failed to ride a finish. Carberry was hit with a ten-day suspension, which appears more in keeping with such a costly mistake for both owners and punters alike.
On Tuesday, Tramore announced details of its forthcoming four-day festival. Due to track improvements completed last year, there will be 16 runners in handicap races for the first time, allowing for ? the odds first four each-way betting. The opening day of the festival clashes with Heinz57 day at Leopardstown but patrons won`t miss any of the action as a big screen will be erected to show all races from the Dublin venue. The only negative for Tramore customers is the increased admission charge. Entry for all four days has been upped to #10. Will it prove to be a case of biting the hand that feeds it for rejuvenated Tramore?
In the week when the cream of our industry took centre stage at The Curragh, spare a thought for those plying their trade at the opposite end of the spectrum. The minimum handicap rating allotted to a runner on the flat is a lowly 15 and there are currently 48 horses occupying this basement mark. Each one is fully 8 stone inferior to Sinndar, more if you take the weight-for-age scale into account. To make matters worse, these poor individuals are required to race from out of the handicap even in the lowliest 0-50 contests.
When the race planning committee next sits, wouldn`t it be nice if they framed a race for the forgotten 48! Imagine the spectacle, a race packed with horses, all trying for their lives (some quite literally). It would be reminiscent of the charge of the light brigade, only slower,much slower.
The long drawn out saga of the proposed I.H.A./ TurfClub/A.I.R. merger may have an end in sight after Minister McCreevy anno unced at the weekend that a decision will be made within the next ten days.
