Colin Keane relishing Tarnawa tilt

JOCKEY Colin Keane is backing Tarnawa to hold her own against the colts as the Dermot Weld-trained mare prepares to challenge for the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown next week.

The chesnut has won her last five outings, ending with a Group 1 bonanza at ParisLongchamp in the Prix Vermeille and the Prix de l’Opera and then in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, with Keane drafted in late on after intended rider Christophe Soumillon.

“He (Weld) made it very plain and simple, to not go out there with a plan,” Keane said.

“She’s a filly than can be a little slowly away sometimes and she can be a bit keen, so I just got her to relax a little bit and then from halfway tried to creep my way into it.

“He took a lot of the pressure off me and tried to make it more enjoyable than anything and thankfully it all just worked out on the day.

“We didn’t go overly mad and kind of got going from halfway down the back, my filly travelled well and from when we turned in she picked up very well.

“From halfway down the straight I thought I was going to get there, she was a very good winner on the day. It’s hard to describe it.”

Tarnawa has run once since that Breeders’ Cup performance, running in the 12-furlong Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown on August 5th – and winning by an emphatic six and a half lengths.

“We’re coming back two furlongs which I don’t think will be a problem,” Keane said.

“She’s not a slow filly, she travels strongly and has a good turn of foot at the end of a mile-and-a-half race, but I don’t think the drop back in trip will be an issue.

“She finishes very well as we’ve seen in the past. I don’t think it’ll be an issue if it’s lovely good ground.”

Keane considers the daughter of Shamardal to be more physically impressive than ever, having recently ridden her at Weld’s Curragh stable.

“I got to sit on her last Friday morning, we were doing our normal exercise and she seems very well,” he said.

“She’s a handful, but when she’s going she’s very straightforward and uncomplicated – she’s just a very good filly.

“She’s seems to be a lot stronger physically this year, she had a good break after the Breeders’ Cup and she came back in late.

“She’s done very well over the winter and she’s taken a bit of work to get her to where she is, but she’s definitely stronger physically this year.

“It’s going to be a very good race,” said Keane. “These are the races we all want to be riding in, you get the most buzz out of them. The best horses, the highest level against the best riders – I’m very much looking forward to it now.”