ANDY SLATTERY

BRANCH LINE

3yo b g (15-)

Rip Van Winkle - Disco Lights

Mrs M C Slattery

He is a very nice horse. He won first time out last year at Roscommon and he had just the one run after that in a listed race at Tipperary last August. He was a big horse and he didn’t need to grow anymore but he has and he looks great. There is a listed race at Dundalk that I am looking at for him next month and he is a very good moving horse that would appreciate some nice ground. I still have high hopes for this lad. He looks great and his work at home has been good.

CREGGS PIPES

5yo ch m (41111275-)

Rip Van Winkle - Sophie Germain

Delphi Six Syndicate

She has done well over winter and she looks great now. She doesn’t come to hand this early in the year, but we were still planning on running her at Naas on Sunday. We had to scrap that plan as she was in season yesterday and our aim now is the Heritage Stakes at Leopardstown on Wednesday week. We know that she likes soft ground, but like a lot of fillies, she is better with a bit of sun on her back. We have had her wind done as well and I think that will help her. The aim is to get her more blacktype.

DINKUM DIAMOND

9yo b h (50708330-)

Aussie Rules - Moving Diamonds

Eight Star Syndicate

He was a good sprinter that came to us around eight weeks ago. He was with Henry Candy and was rated 108 at one stage. We are still feeling our way with him. He is working well without looking out of the ordinary, but that might just be him. We’ll start him off in a handicap at Naas and we’ll know a bit more about him afterwards. He is getting on a bit, but we know he is a good sprinter and he has settled in well.

TOM HOGAN

GORDON LORD BYRON

9yo b g (840686-99)

Byron - Boa Estrela

Dr Cyrus Poonawalla & Morgan J Cahalan

He seems to be in good form. It was a shame that we didn’t get a clear run with him in Dubai – he had trouble with his back and he was never right over there so we took him home. We got it looked after when he arrived back and he seems fine now. He was due to run at Dundalk last night and now we’ll have a look at the Gladness Stakes at Naas. He has won on soft ground but I think what he needs now is a level track and a bit of nice ground.

He did very well for us last season and if he did the same again, we’d be more than happy.

He has been a wonderful servant and he proved last year that when he’s right, there are more races to be won with him.

EVANNA MCCUTCHEON

MAAREK

10yo b g (74578407-)

Pivotal - Ruby Rocket

Lisbunny Syndicate

He seems to be in great form and he is happy and healthy, but he always takes a run or two to sharpen up. In saying that he’ll have his ground at Naas on Sunday so he’ll start off there (finished 3rd) . He never seems to run well at Cork and the stiff six at Naas should be fine for him. There is a good programme of races for him. He is not that well handicapped and he will have plenty of weight to carry but we are where we are with him. As I said, he looks great and he is in super form. It will be great to get him started.

WILLIE McCREERY

DOWNFORCE

5yo b g (11004513-)

Fast Company - Spinning Ruby

Donal Finnan

He loves a good ease in the ground and he is effective over five, six and seven furlongs. He did very well for us last year and was third in a listed race on his last start at Leopardstown.

He will have to step up again this year, but he has done well over the winter and he is a horse that we’ve always liked. We’ll find something for him reasonably soon as he handles this bad ground well.

OSTATNIA

5yo b m (761861432-)

Amadeus Wolf - Ostrusa

S P McCarthy

She picked up some blacktype last year and she will run away in all those good sprint races. She will start off on Friday (last night) at Dundalk - as the race looked like a nice starting point for her and we’ll see how it goes. She has been a great servant and she looks great, but she needs good ground to be seen at her best.

She has won on slow ground before, but she loves good ground.

PERLE DE LA MER

3yo b f (15-)

Born To Sea - Law Review

Mrs A M Burns

She won her maiden at Galway last year and she had just the one run after that in the CL Park Stakes at the Curragh. She has wintered well and I’m very happy with her.

She handles an ease in the ground and the plan is that she’ll go for a Guineas trial at Leopardstown and that race will tell us a bit more about her.

WILD AS THE WIND

4yo ch f (71-)

Approve - Money Penny

F A McNulty

She is a bit of an unknown in that she has only had the two runs, but we like her and she’ll go for the Park Express Stakes at Naas (finished 5th). It will be a big step up for her, but she won her maiden well last season at the Curragh. I am not sure if she’ll handle the ground on Sunday, but the ground wasn’t great when she won her maiden that day.

We’ll see how Sunday goes before making a plan for her.

JOSEPH O’BRIEN

ART NOUVELLE

3yo b f (41-)

Art Connoisseur - Van De Cappelle

Geansai Nua Syndicate

She looked a nice filly last season when she won her maiden over six at the Curragh. She has wintered well. I am not sure that she’ll get seven, but we might start her off over seven in either a handicap or a listed race and that will help determine as to what route she will go. She looks great, she is on the way back and she is not too far off a run.

INTRICATELY

3yo b f (13310-)

Fastnet Rock - Inner Realm

Mrs C C Regalado-Gonzalez

She did very well for us last year and she has gotten stronger over the winter. It is hard to know if she has improved ability wise, but physically she is bigger and stronger.

She will go for the Guineas trial at Leopardstown and we’ll see how that goes first before we make any more plans for her. She is in the Irish and English 1,000 Guineas and you’d hope that she’ll run in one of them, but we’ll see how Leopardstown goes first.

MOTHERLAND

4yo ch c (6311-)

Galileo - Pipalong

Annus Mirabilis Syndicate

He is rated 106 and he won very well at Galway last year. With his rating, he’ll have to go for a stakes race now. He might be a ‘Cup’ horse and he’ll start off in the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan towards the end of April. He stays very well and he is not too ground dependant. He has grown and developed over the winter and I’m very happy with him.

RECKLESS GOLD

4yo ch c (32/18-)

Pivotal - Golden Shadow

Maxwell Morris

He is in the English Lincoln, but I’d say he won’t run in that. He’ll start off in a stakes race somewhere and he is on the way back.

He did well for us last year and he had a little setback towards the end of the last season which held us up a bit, but he is fine again now. He is around a month off a run.

FOZZY STACK

ALEXIOS KOMNENOS

3yo b c (12-)

Choisir - Alexiade

Werret Bloodstock PTY Ltd & Ms G Britton & D S McGuinness

He got an injury a week before the National Stakes last year which was slow to heal. It is a day to day thing with him, but he is back in light exercise now and realistically it will be June/July time before he’ll be ready to run.

DIAMOND FIELDS

4yo b f (0201/2242032-)

Fastnet Rock - Question Times

Mary Slack

She is back from her travels and there is every chance that she’ll be off again at some stage this year. She was placed twice in America and she is in the Gladness Stakes, but she needs good ground to be seen at her best. She ran three times in America. Her saddle slipped the first day and after that, she was placed in two graded races. The Gladness and the Heritage Stakes are what we are looking at for her and seven furlongs or a mile suits her well here, but she did finish second over a mile and one in Belmont.

ONENIGHTIDREAMED

6yo ch g (213/11/714-)

Footstepsinthesand - Pivotalia

New Pension Fund Syndicate

He seems in good shape and he’ll run in the Lincoln at Naas on Sunday with top-weight. (finished 8th). He ran well in the race last year and hopefully he’ll run well again.

He’ll be aimed at those listed and Group 3 races over seven furlongs or a mile on soft ground. He is in very good form at the moment and the plan would be to bring him back for the Gladness Stakes on April 9th.