Fozzy Stack has made a bright start to the campaign and with a string of just over 50 horses at his disposal, he has a lot to look forward to.
He now holds the licence at Thomastown Castle having assisted his father Tommy for the last 15 years and, with Wayne Lordan moving to Ballydoyle, he quickly moved to snap up Chris Hayes to fill that vacancy.
As matters stand, Stack has a near 25% strike rate and when I mentioned that statistic to him, he stated: “There is only way that can go!”
The Tipperary trainer added: “At the start of the season, we had horses that handled an ease in the ground and there were races for them that suited, and thankfully it paid off.
“We have some nice horses and hopefully a few of them could be above average. The horses are healthy and that is a huge help, and hopefully they’ll continue to run to their best.”
“If you don’t have a soft ground horse out in April, you could be looking at them all year, so you have to have them out early. The start that we’ve had is very satisfying.”
The smart Alexios Komnenos, who chased home Churchill in the Group 3 Tyros Stakes last season, was unfortunate to suffer a very nasty infection which ruled him out of the second half of last season.
The son of Choisir has made good progress over the last few months however and Stack is hopeful he can make a welcome return to action at the Curragh on Irish Derby weekend.
Alexios Komnenos
3yo c (12-)
Choisir - Alexiade
J A Stack
He had a great run last year behind Churchill in the Tyros Stakes and then a week before the National Stakes, he got an infection in his hind leg, which turned out to be inside his suspensory branch.
He had surgery and it was touch and go whether he’d live. They did a great job and he is back in full work now.
He went for a racecourse canter at Tipperary last Friday morning and if we get a clear run and if he stays right, something like the Celebration Stakes on Irish Derby weekend might be a starting off point for him.
We haven’t done enough with him to see if he retains his ability, but touch wood he is sound. We’ll just have to see how we get on over the next few weeks.
A Little Bit Me
3yo f (000-61)
The Factor - Sayedah
TV Magnier & Mrs T Hyde & J R McDonald
Due to run at Cork last night. The blinkers woke her up when she won earlier in the month at the same track. We were hopeful of a good run. She has gone up 9lbs for her win but we’d like to think she is a progressive filly now and that there will be more for her this season.
Angel Island
3yo f (12)
So You Think – Dombeya
Rebels With A Cause Syndicate
She ran quite well this week at Killarney. She won her maiden nicely at Cork previously and we think that she is a nice filly. The trip was on the sharp side for her at Killarney, so I’d imagine that we’ll step her up to a mile and a quarter.
She is a big, galloping mare and she will improve again when we step her up in trip. I just thought going down to Killarney that the ground was going to be a good bit softer than it was. She wouldn’t want the ground too quick and we’ll see what rating she gets and then we’ll make a plan for her.
Balcony
4yo f (54832215-035)
Fastnet Rock - Front House
Ms Mary Slack and Mrs John Magnier
She has been running well this season and we have declared her for a fillies handicap at Navan today (5:45). It looks like a very good race but I think she’ll be competitive. A mile is her trip and she handles an ease in the ground well.
Breeze
3yo f (44)
Sea The Stars - Kitty Matcham
P Vela & Mrs John Magnier
She has run okay on her only two starts. She is a big filly and is still a bit weak so we hope she will continue to strengthen up throughout the year. She should be able to win her maiden and then we’ll see what happens after that. A mile or a mile and a quarter on nice ground is what she wants.
Classie
3yo f (8-)
Fastnet Rock - Ittasal
Mrs J J Byrne
She had just the one run at Dundalk last year and like most of the Fastnet Rock’s that we have, she seems to have improved with age. She is in a six-furlong three-year-old maiden today at Navan (2:25) and we’d be fairly hopeful she can run well. We’ll see how she goes and make a plan with her then.
Commander Grigio
2yo c (4)
Holy Roman Emperor -Many Hearts
Pension Fund II Syndicate
He ran quite well at the Curragh on Saturday. I’d say it was a good maiden and he should learn plenty for the experience and improve off it. We might go back to the Curragh for a maiden next weekend and I’d be disappointed if he hasn’t won a maiden in the next few weeks. He is a nice horse.
Court Queen
3yo f (27)
Choisir - Blue Dahlia
Richard Barnes
She ran well on her first ever run at Cork, where she was only just touched off, but she was a bit disappointing at Naas on her second appearance. She gurgled that day and we found out she flipped her palate, so we will get a little job done on her which is pretty straightforward and she’ll be out again reasonably soon after that. She should have no trouble winning her maiden and hopefully she might step forward a bit. I can see her getting six furlongs no problem and ground wouldn’t be a major issue for either way.
Diamond Fields
4yo f (8281/2242832-16)
Fastnet Rock - Question Times
Ms Mary Slack
She won the Gladness Stakes on her first run this season at Naas, but she disappointed on her subsequent run in the Athasi Stakes back at the same track. Nothing really came to light other than the chance that she might have been in season; that was the only thing that we came up with.
She’ll go for the Ridgewood Pearl Stakes at the Curragh and if that went well, she’ll go for a Group 2 at Ascot. She could also go back to America at some stage. She ran well on fast ground over there and the ground was on the slow side when she won at Naas, so she is adaptable.
She has always been a filly with a lot of talent. She was unlucky when second last year at Ascot and she went and ran well in some good races in America. I’d imagine that she will have a go at a Group 1 and the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown looks like a suitable target for her later on in the season.
Fasuba
3yo g (8553-31)
Power - Varmint Lady
J A Stack
He is a fast horse and he won well over five furlongs at Dundalk last week. I’ll try and find a three-year-old handicap over five furlongs for him. If not, he’ll have to take on the older horses.
He is a quick horse and it would be hard to see him getting any further than five. He handles the grass as well so hopefully he’ll be competitive in handicaps. He wouldn’t want the ground too quick.
Gino Severini
3yo g (4430-122)
Fastnet Rock - Green Castle
Next Pension Fund Syndicate
He won the Madrid Handicap over seven furlongs on his first start of the season at Naas and he has developed into a good servant. He was placed over a mile and a quarter the last day, so that opens up more options for him and he’ll go for a mile and a quarter premier handicap at Navan next month. He is adaptable ground wise and he is a good, tough handicapper that I think will be competitive off his mark. He seems to be improving and he takes his racing well. Down the line we could look at a mile and a half for him but we’ll see how he gets on at Navan first.
He’s Complete
4yo g (8404037-7)
Royal Applause - Rhapsilian
D Keoghan & Partners Partnership
We were thinking of running him at Cork last night but he needs a dig in the ground and it probably would have been too fast for him. He ran a nice race on his first start back and he should pay his way in handicaps for the remainder of the season.
Lady Tipperary
3yo f (4-06)
Royal Applause - Nasij
Rebels With A Cause Syndicate
She ran okay on her debut at Leopardstown last season but she was disappointing on her first run back at Limerick this season. We were happier with her run at Killarney on Tuesday and I think she is a filly who will improve with racing.
Lone Survivor
3yo f (9)
Power – Ravish
Rebels With A Cause Syndicate
She ran okay at Naas and she probably wants to a bit further. I’d say she’ll improve once we step her up in trip. We’ll find another maiden for her in the next few weeks and she is another filly that should improve with racing.
Misty Birnam
4yo c (21123)
Toreador – In The Mist
He came to us a few months ago from South Africa. He spent a long time in quarantine which wasn’t ideal. But he was a good horse in South Africa – he was placed in a Group 1 race there and I’d imagine that he’ll be a six or seven-furlong horse.
He is probably about a month off a run and when he is ready we will try and find a conditions or a listed race for him. We are still feeling our way with him and it is hard to know what his form would equate to over here. We’ll learn a good bit more about him after he runs but we like what we have seen so far.
Onenightidreamed
6yo g (213/11/714-831)
Footstepsinthesand - Pivotalia
New Pension Fund Syndicate
He has been a great servant and he will run away in all those listed and Group 3’s on soft ground.
The conditions of the race that he won at Tipperary suited him well and he deserved to get his head in front again. The weather will dictate where he’ll go.
Shifted Strategy
2yo c (0)
Choisir - Pure Greed
M A Begley
He ran at Navan a couple of weeks ago and he did everything wrong there. He ran on his nerves a bit and he didn’t see the trip out. We’ll reset the clock with him now and get him going in a seven-furlong maiden next time out and I think you’ll see an improved performance. He is a lot better than what we saw the first day and going up in trip should help him.
Sirici
2yo f (211)
Choisir -Mironica
Michael Slevin
We had her in at York yesterday but decided against running her as they had so much rain over there. She wants decent ground and if we get that at Naas tomorrow, she will run in the Listed Rochestown Stakes (3:15) where hopefully she can pick up black type.
She is not overly big, but she has always worked well and she is very quick. She might get six furlongs, but we’ll keep her to five for the moment.
Son Of Rest
3yo c (24-18)
Pivotal - Hightime Heroine
B Parker
He ran well in the Group 1 National Stakes last year and he won his maiden well at Cork on his first start this season. He disappointed in the Tetrarch and I think he just doesn’t get seven furlongs.
We’d like to get a run into him soon and if he performed well, you might have to look at the Commonwealth Cup or something like that if conditions suited.
Thunder Speed
3yo c (71-)
Dylan Thomas - Insoumise
K M Chiu
He’s a nice horse who won a maiden last year. He’s ready to start off and will run in two or three weeks. He’ll be best at a mile on nice ground. I think he’ll be competitive in handicaps and we’ll keep him to three-year-old races for the time being.
Victorious Secret
4yo f (/20011277360-00)
Holy Roman Emperor - Highindi
B Parker & D Keoghan
She won a couple for us last year at Dundalk and Leopardstown. Her two runs this year haven’t been great but hopefully those runs would have brought her on and she should be competitive in handicaps between six furlongs and a mile. She likes nice ground.
TWO-YEAR-OLDS
We have a nice bunch of unraced two-year-olds that should be ready to run soon. Goodthingstaketime (Canford Cliffs - Addictedtoprogress) was supposed to run at the Curragh last weekend, but we had to take her out as she was in season. She might go back there for a maiden next weekend. We like her and I think she’ll get six furlongs. Boom Star (Choisir - Glowing Star) has shown plenty of speed and he should be up to running in the next two or three weeks.
Lily Marlene (Kodiac - Shanghai Lily) might run shortly She wants nice ground and she should improve for her first experience. Gottardo (Choisir - Chantarella) is a home bred and is related to two stakes performers. He goes well and we might look to get him started on Irish Derby weekend.