WHO would be an ante-post gambler? Not only was Speed Ticket, the favourite for yesterday's John Smith's Northumberland Plate at Newcastle, declared a late non- runner after going lame in his box, but in a greater upset to punters, Epsom Derby winner Sea The Stars has been ruled out of today's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh.
Having won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Derby, Sea The Stars was a warm order to notch a Classic hat-trick, but heavy rain on Friday evening softened the ground at the Curragh. Ironically and somewhat controversially, the course executive ha
d been watering the ground in a bid to maintain good going, but that tactic has now backfired spectacularly.
To be fair to him, trainer John Oxx had warned the Cape Cross colt would not run on easy ground and the Curragh's loss is Sandown's gain as Sea The Stars will now switch to next Saturday's Coral-Eclipse stakes for which he is now 5-4 favourite.
Oxx's wife Caitriona confirmed yesterday: "It's official, Sea The Stars will not be running at the Curragh. We wanted to run him but the ground is not right for him and he will go for the Eclipse now."
Fame And Glory, one of six runners for Aidan O'Brien in today's race and runner-up to Sea The Stars at Epsom, is the new 11-10 favourite for today's race, and on all known form he should be a comfortable winner. His stablemate Masterofthehorse is around 3-1 second favourite and John Oxx will still have a contender in the shape of the Aga Khan's Mourayan, with Mick Kinane switching to ride him.
Despite John Gosden's Dar Re Mi beating Beach Bunny to land the Audi Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh yesterday, there is not a single British entrant left in the premier Irish Classic. Says it all about the state of our three-year-olds, frankly.
In next Saturday's Eclipse, it really is difficult to see past Sea The Stars who sparkled at Epsom with an easy victory over Fame And Glory to become the first horse for 20 years to complete the Guineas-Derby double, last achieved by Nashwan who went on to win the Eclipse.
The Group One contest sees the first real clash of the Classic generation with their older rivals and the sponsors feel it's not quite a one-horse race, but nearly. Last year's St Leger winner Conduit is the 11-4 second favourite while O'Brien's Derby fourth Rip Van Winkle is a 9-2 chance.
Coral's David Stevens said: "Sea The Stars has already emulated Nashwan by completing the Guineas and Derby double, and we make him a hot favourite to become the first Epsom hero since that great colt to follow up with victory in the Coral-Eclipse, although it looks like he could face a host of top-class rivals."
For once I agree with the sponsors. Sea The Stars will be stepping back down to ten furlongs, which could be his best distance, and will almost certainly be running on the firmer ground which suits him. He is taken to win by a length or two from Rip Van Winkle.
Yesterday's running of the Northumberland Plate reminds me to write just a brief word to record my sadness, which I'm sure will be shared by many in Scottish racing, at the news that Len Lungo is to downgrade his training operation at his Hetland Hill stables near Carrutherstown. It was just becoming too hard to make ends meet as a full-time trainer, so Len is to train as a permit holder, meaning he can only train his family's own horses.
Lungo will not now surpass the several records he holds, including the greatest number of wins in a season by a Scottish trainer – 63 in 2002/03 – and the largest amount ever won by a Scottish trainer in a single race, the £104,000 lifted by Mirjan in the Northumberland Plate of 2004. Hopefully we will still see Lungo around the tracks, and he could certainly give other trainers a lesson in public relations as he always had a word – sometimes several hundred – for the media. Good luck to him in whatever he does.
