COLM MURPHY
EMPIRE OF DIRT
9yo bg (/4F32F1F/F2P11-)
Westerner - Rose Of Inchiquin
He looks great. He had a good break and he did very well over the summer. I’ll speak to Michael and Eddie (O’Leary) and we’ll make a plan for him in about a month or so. In an ideal world, you’d love to think that he might develop into a National horse. He did very well for us last season and he was very unlucky not to win a couple more but he finished out the season super and he is one to look forward to for the winter.
SIZING GRANITE
8yo brg (321/91U111/25P2-)
Milan - Hazel´s Tisrara
He is back in after a good break and he looks super. He could make into a good two-mile chaser this season and he should be ready to start off sometime in October. He is in super form.
MARLBROOK
8yo bg (11/3F0/P211-P)
Beneficial - Drinadaly
He developed into a good horse for us last season and he is back in good shape after a break. He likes soft ground so hopefully when he gets his conditions, he can win a few more races. He was good when he won a couple of good races for us last season and it was unfortunate what happened to him at Punchestown.
NOEL MEADE
APACHE STRONGHOLD
8yo bg (/114/212212F/3-)
Milan - First Battle
He is back cantering away and hopefully he’ll stay right. The first races to consider for him would be the Grade 1 in Down Royal and the John Durkan. Hopefully, he’ll stay sound and go for those kind of races.
BONNY KATE
6yo chm (11P/U2111P-6)
Beneficial - Peppardstown
She is back cantering away and she looks great. I haven’t really done that much with her yet but we are looking at races like the Troytown and all those good staying three-mile chases are there for her this season. She jumps super and she loves real soft ground and the further she goes the better.
DISKO
5yo grg (1/221-6)
Martaline - Nikos Royale
He has been schooling over fences and has been jumping well. Hopefully, he’ll start off in a novice chase somewhere over two and a half miles sometime maybe in October. He suffered a stress crack of his stifle last season and it was a rush to get him back to run at Punchestown. He is back in good shape again now, he looks great and hopefully we’ll have a clear run with him this season. He is a horse that I’ve always liked.
GUNNERY SERGEANT
5yo b/brg (1/1F3-)
Presenting - Dame Foraine
He is in very good form and is close to being ready to run. I’d say he could run in the next two weeks and he will remain over hurdles this season. He is still a maiden and he is not a big horse, but I’d say he could be a nice horse over two and a half miles.
MONKSLAND
9yo b g (/121/320/21232-)
Beneficial - Cush Jewel
He is in good shape. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran over fences and hurdles this season. We’ll get him fit first and then we’ll decide where he’ll go. He’ll be put in the big chase at Down Royal and we’ll also put him in the second season chase on the same day. All is well with him.
ROAD TO RICHES
9yo bg (/212113/31232-FP)
Gamut - Bellora
He is in good form. He had a little bit of a break after the Galway Plate and my plan is to run him in the good two and a half-mile chase in October at Gowran Park and then hopefully go for JNWINE.com Chase. We’ll have to see what Michael and Eddie want to do. He was a bit deflated and wasn’t himself after Galway but he seems in good form again now and we would like to campaign him in all the good three-mile chases over the winter. He won the Lexus last year and I don’t see why he couldn’t try and win it again this year.
STRETCHINGTHETRUTH
5yo bg (1-1)
Gold Well - Maryanndoyle
He looked a nice horse when he won his bumper at Punchestown and he is in good shape. He has won a point-to-point, he jumps well and he’ll start off in a maiden hurdle.
PATRICK MULLINS
ANNIE POWER
8yo chm (1111111/1112/1F/1111-)
Shirocco - Anno Luce
She looks fabulous and she put on a lot of weight over the summer. She was at the Curragh last Sunday. It was nice to parade her there and she seemed to enjoy her day away. She is back in and I’d imagine that she will be kept to two/two and a half miles and will hopefully go back and defend her crown in Cheltenham.
APPLE’S JADE
4yo bf (1121-1)
Saddler Maker - Apple’s For Ever
She looks fantastic. It is going to be very difficult for her this year, a five-year-old filly. Her last two performances last season were phenomenal.
When you look back at Our Conor, he was able to dominate in that restricted age group, and he was still a very good horse in the open age group, but he wasn’t just the tops. We’ll start her off as easy as we can without throwing her straight into the deep end.
BLOW BY BLOW
5yo chg (211-1)
Robin Des Champs - Shean Rose
He won the Champion Bumper at Punchestown last season. I schooled him over hurdles last season and I was surprised for a big, gangly looking horse, how quick he was over his hurdles.
He is one that I am very much looking forward to over staying distances. He is not flashy at home but, as you saw when he won, he is a chaser and for him to be able to win a Champion Bumper makes him very exciting.
DJAKADAM
7yo bg (/11F/012/21F23-2)
Saint Des Saints - Rainbow Crest
You’d imagine that he will go back for the Gold Cup again. I think The Fellow was beaten in two Gold Cups and he came back to win one, so perhaps history may repeat itself.
I think the £1 million bonus is a great addition and, if you look back to Cue Card last year, it definitely added more interest to the Gold Cup. I think we’ll campaign our horses, that if they are ready, they could run in that series of races, but we are not going to get the horses ready to run in it. We are still working back from March time.
DOUVAN
6yo bg (21111/111111-1)
Walk In The Park - Star Face
He has done very well and he is very relaxed. Rachel Robbins is looking after him now that Gail Carlisle has gone to America. It is just a question as to whether we stay at two miles with him this season or up him to three miles.
He settles very well and you’d think that he could get three miles but he is so good over two miles, why change it? He looks great and like them all, he put on a lot of weight over the summer.
FAUGHEEN
8yo bg (1/11111/1111/1211-)
Germany - Miss Pickering
He is back in and we don’t think his injury will come back against him. We’ve had horses with that kind of small suspensory problem before and it’s not a long-term thing. John Codd, who looks after him, is very happy.
I would imagine that he will be going down that two/two and a half-mile hurdle route. He can go out in trip to two and a half and I suppose you’d be looking at the Hattons Grace/Morgiana for the likes of him and Annie Power. They can go either way.
UN DE SCEAUX
8yo bg (/11111/F111/1F122-16)
Denham Red - Hotesse De Sceaux
We tried him over three miles last season and it just didn’t work out. I’d imagine that he will stick to the two-mile route on soft/heavy ground and on quicker ground he probably needs to go further. He is not as good over two miles on good ground and he may step for the Ryanair next year.
VAUTOUR
7yo bg (/1111/11211/121F-2)
Robin Des Champs - Gazelle De Mai
He has come back in and he was at the Curragh for Champions Weekend. He put on a lot of weight on his break and he looks super. His run in the King George last year - where he didn’t jump particularly well - was very good and that form is as good as there is out there.
That is Gold Cup form and I imagine that will be later this year when we’ll see him back on the racecourse.