RACING LEOPARDSTOWN MEETING:RACING'S PRINCIPAL focus this weekend may be on the Grand National but that isn't going to stop a lot being read into Ryan Moore's trip to Leopardstown tomorrow to team up with one of Aidan O'Brien's main Derby hopes, Recital, in the Group Three feature.
Speculation about who will ride the top Ballydoyle horses has been constant since Johnny Murtagh bailed out last winter amid reports Moore had already been offered the job. O’Brien has maintained a strict “use the best available” stance in the face of queries since then, with his son, Joseph, Colm O’Donoghue and Séamus Heffernan fulfilling domestic arrangements up to now.
Moore was on board Master Of Hounds in the UAE Derby last month but has never ridden for O’Brien in Ireland. Now that the former British champion, stable jockey to Michael Stoute, is travelling to Leopardstown, it is clear he will be linking up with O’Brien to a significant degree this season.
The champion trainer’s attention to detail is legendary, certainly when it comes to leading classic hopefuls as Recital undoubtedly is having won both his starts as a juvenile, including a five-length Group One victory in the Grand Criterium de Saint-Cloud last November. That was Murtagh’s last big success in the old job and although Moore’s aversion to fuss is well known, a win for Recital in the PW McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes, could trigger much speculation about a new regime at Ballydoyle.
Conceding a Group One penalty memorably accounted for Sinndar’s sole career defeat in this race 11 years ago but Recital looks a type to thrive at three and O’Brien’s string is noticeably more forward than usual this season.
Moore will be on board three other Ballydoyle runners tomorrow and can make an immediate impression in the opener with Raphael Santi who ran very green on his Curragh debut last weekend but was getting the hang of things late on. Quest For Peace is another Moore hope in the 10-furlong maiden and the step up in trip could allow him reverse form with the filly Claiomh Solais.
Famous Name has possibly raced more at Leopardstown over the years than the former British champion jockey and Dermot Weld’s stalwart performer will be looking for a seventh win at the track in the Listed Heritage Stakes. Ground conditions will be faster than ideal for Famous Name with watering being considered over the weekend. But he overcame quick ground to win this race last year and faces just three opponents – including his stable companion Libano – this time.
Northern Rocked was third to Maal at Limerick last Tuesday. Before that he had been runner up to West Coast Dream over the course and distance of tomorrow’s seven-furlong handicap. The difference now is Leigh Roche claims off him and that could prove crucial.
