Pat Smullen crosses the Irish Sea today to put Gifted Master’s Royal Ascot credentials to the test in Haydock’s Group Two feature.
Ireland’s champion jockey has been an increasingly frequent presence across-channel this season, riding at Sandown on Thursday evening, and heads to Haydock for three rides, with Gifted Master a standout prospect in the Sandy Lane Stakes.
Only the American sprinter Acapulco is above the Hugo Palmer-trained star in ante- post betting for the Commonwealth Cup, and Smullen is confident of a bold show from a horse he rode to win last month’s Pavilion Stakes.
“He’s been very impressive in his last two starts and ground doesn’t seem to matter: from good to soft to good to firm, it all seems to be the same to him,” he said.
“Hopefully he can prove himself a leading contender for the Commonwealth Cup.”
Smullen and Palmer have combined to major big-race effect, notably with last year’s Irish Oaks heroine Covert Love, although the Newmarket trainer is anxious about the Haydock track.
“Haydock is a much easier six furlongs than Ascot and I don’t think he’s really a sprinter.
“I think he’s probably more of a seven-furlong horse, or a miler, but he’d have to carry a penalty if he went for the Jersey. Something would need to go very badly wrong for him not to go to the Commonwealth Cup,” Palmer stated.
At home Smullen is in his customary position at the top of the jockeys table, with 37 winners already this season, 15 ahead of his nearest rival, Séamus Heffernan.
Leigh Roche steps in for Dermot Weld’s three Saturday runners at Navan, including the newcomer Knight’s Dream in the opening two- year-old maiden.
This looks another good opportunity though for last weekend’s classic-winning rider Shane Foley, who teams up with Magnification for Ken Condon.
The gelding is making a quick six-day turnaround from his very promising Curragh debut behind Van Der Decken, but should still be able to burnish his own Royal Ascot prospects with a win.
Lustrous Light is still in the Epsom Derby, but much lower sights in the three-year-old maiden can pay off for Qatar Racing’s 310,000 guineas yearling purchase.
It’s asking a lot for Sing For Me to emulate the progress of her former stable companion Curvy, who went last year from landing a Navan handicap off a mark of 72 to Grade One glory.
However a step up in trip and better ground should only help the Coolmore-owned daughter of Galileo, who races off 71 in the 10-furlong handicap.
