John F Kennedy, the winter favourite for the Derby, ran a bitterly disappointing race on his three-year-old debut at Leopardstown on Sunday, finishing last of the three runners in the Group Three Ballysax Stakes.
Ridden for the first time by Ryan Moore, recently confirmed as the principal jockey for Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle yard, John F Kennedy was settled well off the pace as the 10-1 outsider Success Days, who had a fitness advantage having won a minor race at Cork earlier this month, set out to make all under Shane Foley.
Foley quickened again entering the home straight and despite drifting sharply to his left, Success Days was never threatened by his two opponents. Zafilani, whose trainer Dermot Weld had won the first three races on the card, was four-and-a-half lengths away in second, with John F Kennedy, the 1-4 favourite, trailing in six lengths further back.
“We weren’t expecting that to happen and it was disappointing,” O’Brien said later. “The ground was very soft and Ryan said the horse felt bad on it. He’s really a fast-ground horse. I thought he was fit enough but maybe he wasn’t.
“We’ll take him home and see how he comes out of the race before making plans. First time out last year he didn’t concentrate before winning his next two races.”
Success Days could now run in the Irish 2,000 Guineas in May. “He’s in the Irish Guineas, but has no other fancy entries,” Ken Condon, the winner’s trainer, said. “I think the Irish Derby closes later now and that’s something we could look at.
“I’m sure the favourite will come out and do great things in the summer, but it was our day today.”
John F Kennedy was pushed out to 10-1 (from 4-1) for the Derby by Stan James and Ladbrokes, while his stablemate Ol’ Man River, unbeaten in two starts as a juvenile including the Group Two Beresford Stakes, is the new favourite for the Epsom Classic at a top price of 8-1 with the same firm.
Philip Hobbs, the trainer of Balthazar King, said on Sunday that he remains hopeful that the 11-year-old will recover from rib injuries sustained in a fall at the Canal Turn in Saturday’s Grand National.
The National field bypassed the obstacle on the second circuit while Balthazar King was attended by vets, with jockey Ruby Walsh, who was brought down on Ballycasey in Balthazar King’s fall, standing on the track with a warning flag to help direct the field left around the fence.
“He’s in the equine hospital in Liverpool and was comfortable last night,” Hobbs said. “They think he’s probably broken some ribs. Hopefully, he’ll be OK.”
Many Clouds, the 25-1 winner of the Grand National, was in “fantastic” form on Sunday morning according to Oliver Sherwood, his trainer.
The eight-year-old looked unsteady on his feet after winning Saturday’s race under 11st 9lb, as he did after taking the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November, but recovered quickly from his exertions.
“Many Clouds is absolutely A1,” Sherwood said. “We stayed up [in Liverpool] last night and my staff said [this morning] he was fantastic and that he’d eaten up and had a buck and a kick. He’s handled it better than most of the two-legged people in the yard.
“I think he’s a Gold Cup horse that’s won a National. He can only carry a pound more next year and we’ll probably train him for the National, as opposed to the Gold Cup.”
Phil Smith, the British Horseracing Authority’s senior handicapper, said on Sunday that Many Clouds had put up one of the best performances in the race in handicapping terms since Red Rum’s victory under the old top weight of 12 stone in 1974.
“He’s won off 160 [and is] the highest-rated horse to win since Red Rum,” Smith said on At The Races. “It’s a tricky one in terms of the best performance, because in 1998, Suny Bay was second off 170, which was a fantastic performance looking back.
“I think I’m probably going to put Many Clouds up to [a new mark of] 167, up 7lb from yesterday. I’ve got no reason to doubt the quality of the form.
“It should be an encouragement to the owners and trainers of those better horses, it’s not necessarily going to be the weight that stops you. Many Clouds is 5lb off [this season’s Gold Cup winner] Coneygree. Many Clouds did not run his race for whatever reason [in the Gold Cup] at Cheltenham. It was a blip in what has been a pretty impressive season.”
Oscar Time, the oldest horse in Saturday’s field at 14, has been retired after finishing 15th, while the 13-year-old Tranquil Sea, who finished seventh, has also been retired.
The Druids Nephew, who was in front when falling at the fifth-last, was reported to be a little stiff by Neil Mulholland, his trainer, on Sunday but otherwise unscathed.
“I’m just glad he had an easy fall and we have him for another day,” Mulholland said. “He’s a bit stiff this morning after doing the splits, but otherwise he’s fine.
“He was cantering at the time. Aidan [Coleman, his jockey] said although he was going well in front, he was only doing a half-speed. He was going too well if anything and was probably enjoying it too much. He winged Becher’s and was just loving it.”
Robbie McNamara, who was due to partner the top weight Lord Windermere in the Grand National before being injured in a fall at Wexford on Friday, was described as being “in very good spirits” on Sunday by Dr Adrian McGoldrick, the Irish Turf Club’s senior medical officer, after surgery the previous afternoon.
“He was very stable overnight and in very good spirits,” McGoldrick said. “He doesn’t want to say any more at this stage and you can understand that. It was serious chest, abdominal and spinal injuries. The spinal injuries have been operated on and that’s stabilised. The next phase is recuperation and we’ll take it from there.”
Speaking later on At The Races, McGoldrick added: “In Wexford he got fantastic care on the track, and in the casualty department, Mr Ken Mealy, the surgeon there, was fantastic. They saved his life, being very honest.
“He was then transferred to the Mater [in Dublin] and he was taken care of very well, had successful surgery yesterday and we go forward from there. We are in the initial stages of his post-operative recovery, so it’s much too early to be giving a prognosis as to the future, but he’s come through surgery well and we’re very happy with how he’s doing.
“In Wexford he got fantastic care on the track, and in the casualty department Mr Ken Mealy, the surgeon there, was fantastic. They saved his life, being very honest.”
