Pat Smullen is hoping the flat, galloping nature of The Curragh can produce the necessary improvement from Cracksman in Saturday’s Irish Derby, when the colt resumes rivalry with the horse that beat him a length in the Epsom equivalent, Wings Of Eagles.
Smullen, who won last year’s Irish Derby aboard Harzand, was confirmed on Tuesday as the replacement rider for Cracksman, necessitated by Frankie Dettori’s continuing injury.
“He has to have a great chance,” Smullen said after learning from the trainer, John Gosden, he had been booked. “Obviously, the run at Epsom was very good and most horses seem to be a little bit better at The Curragh. It’s a more conventional track, very fair; usually things go according to plan and the best horse wins.
“You’d have to be hopeful. He was only nabbed late at Epsom and now it’s a different day and a different track. He had a good run round that day but I suppose at the end it was open to something like Wings Of Eagles to come from off the pace. Wings Of Eagles was a worthy winner, though. I’ll be speaking to Frankie and Mr Gosden prior to the race to get all the information we can. He looks a pretty straightforward horse.”
Cracksman’s owner, Anthony Oppenheimer, reported him in excellent nick, having visited Gosden’s Newmarket yard on Monday night. “He looked wonderful, really well. Looking at Mr Gosden’s horses that ran at Royal Ascot, I think all of them are generally in good health.”
Asked if the trainer had made any particularly encouraging noises about Cracksman, Oppenheimer laughed: “He doesn’t ever say very much, you know, but he seemed to be very happy with him.”
Of Smullen, Oppenheimer said: “I think he’s a great jockey, we’re very lucky to get him and I don’t think [having to change jockeys] will make any difference at all. Judging by what the jockeys said who rode Frankie’s horses at Ascot, he’s very kind and gives them all instructions too.” In particular, James Doyle said he had benefited from a 20-minute phone call from Dettori before winning Thursday’s Gold Cup on Big Orange.
Reflecting on Cracksman’s third place at Epsom, Oppenheimer said: “There’s no doubt about it, inexperience was a factor. He dropped the bit a little bit coming down the hill, then picked it up in the straight and ran on again. I think this course will suit him more. He has this wonderful long stride that he’s inherited from Frankel and it’s not easy to use that long stride when you’re coming down a hill.
“I think he was courageous in the way he stayed on but you could see he was a bit immature at the same time. We missed running him in the Dante [Cracksman’s intended prep race] but on the other hand, if we had run him there, he might have lost his edge.”
It has already been a wet week at The Curragh and up to 20mm more rain is forecast before Saturday but Oppenheimer believes his horse is versatile as to ground conditions. “His dam won on heavy. I don’t think he’d do that but good to soft wouldn’t affect him.”
A dozen horses remain in Saturday’s Classic after yesterday’s entry stage, eight of them trained by Aidan O’Brien, though he took out the Derby runner-up, Cliffs Of Moher. In addition to Wings Of Eagles, O’Brien has Capri, Douglas Macarthur and Venice Beach among his entrants as well as the intriguing Spanish Steps, who broke his maiden on Sunday at Gowran.
Cracksman, Waldgeist, Dubai Sand and Grandee are the only non-O’Brien entrants. Jessica Harrington, trainer of the 33-1 shot Grandee, said she’d be “delighted if he ran into a place”. She reported that the going at The Curragh was still being described as good to firm and added that drying conditions on Tuesday meant the course could do with more rain, in her view.
Wednesday’s tips by Chris Cook
Carlisle 2.00 John Kirkup 2.30 Birdette 3.00 West Drive 3.30 Carnageo 4.00 Bletchley 4.30 The Stalking Moon 5.00 Frank Bridge
Salisbury 2.10 Lifeboat 2.40 Edged Out 3.10 Wildnightinvegas 3.40 Here And Now (nap) 4.10 Buckle Street (nb) 4.40 Takatul 5.10 See Of Rome
Worcester 2.20 Black Corton 2.50 Super Scorpion 3.20 Malton Rose 3.50 Paddy’s Field 4.20 Listen To The Man 4.50 Monbeg Legend 5.20 Cillian’s Well
Kempton 5.40 Dragon Dream 6.10 Camomile Lawn 6.40 Rebel Streak 7.10 Ocean Promise 7.40 Glory Of Paris 8.10 Clowance One 8.40 Iona Island
Bath 6.00 Pow Wow 6.30 Secret Agent 7.00 Tulip Fever 7.30 Storm Over 8.00 Under The Covers 8.30 Touwari 9.00 Aye Aye Skipper
