Gleneagles poised for Guineas repeat at The Curragh

Gleneagles is expected to continue his winning ways in the Irish 2000 Guineas (Frank Sorge/Horsephotos.com) Newmarket’s Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) worked out as many had expected long beforehand, with Gleneagles (Galileo) proving a cut above, and now that the pecking order has been established it will be a surprise if the bay does not follow up in Saturday’s Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) at The Curragh. Unbeaten in Kildare, Gleneagles has all angles covered now that the ground has dried, and the only question mark would arise if any unexpected rain arrives. “He’s very like Giant’s Causeway, really, but he probably would have more speed,” Aidan O’Brien, who is chasing a 10th renewal, commented of the close relative to that six-time Group 1 winner. “That’s the way we would rate him at the moment. He’s a very well-made horse — not too big and not too small. He has a great step to him, a lovely head and a lovely mind. He travels very well in his races and quickens well. When he gets there he doesn’t do a lot, but he’s very professional. “He hasn’t done a lot, it’s only three weeks since (Newmarket). He had an easy week after and then he did three half-speeds and seems in good form. We’d love to keep him on good ground or better, so hopefully the ground will be good and we’ll look forward to Saturday.” On the face of it, there is too much clear water between him and Ivawood (Zebedee) for it to be feasible for the Richard Hannon trainee to mount a serious challenge in this rematch. Separated by three lengths in the May 2 classic, there is little evidence that the British raider will find improvement over this mile, which stretches his stamina to the limit. Now that the impressive July S. (Eng-G2) and Richmond S. (Eng-G2) winner has suffered three straight defeats, it appears that some of his former luster has gone, but his conditioner remains in customarily positive mood. “The odds are stacked against us, but we think Ivawood has improved again since the Guineas and, though we are not claiming we will beat Gleneagles, who looked a proper horse at Newmarket, we have always loved our fellow and he’ll be giving his all to gain revenge.”

In what is becoming a pattern of the current European flat season, strength
in depth is definitely lacking, and although he has plenty to find, Endless
Drama (Lope de Vega) is still relatively unexposed. Ger Lyons holds the bay in
high regard, but he has two defeats to his name this term — albeit respectable
efforts — when second to Zawraq (Shamardal) in the April 12 Leopardstown Two
Thousand Guineas Trial at this trip and to Tombelaine (First Defence) in the
Tetrarch S. over seven furlongs in testing conditions May 4.

There was a time when Ireland was a bit-player at best in the major sprints,
but three of the bunch to have turned that around in recent years — Sole Power
(Kyllachy), Gordon Lord Byron (Byron) and Maarek (Pivotal) — line up proud and
tall to grace the newly promoted Greenlands S. (Ire-G2).

Despite the gravity of Sole Power’s recent achievements, the fact remains
that this six-furlong trip is further than ideal for him and all five of his
top-level wins have come over five. Nevertheless, the eight-year-old has been
kept away from Haydock’s Temple S. (Eng-G2), which he won in 2011, in favor of
this prize, whose fortunes mirror the rise in prominence of the Irish speed
brigade.

“One of the main reasons we decided to stay at home was that Richard Hughes
was available and everyone knows how well he gets on with him,” Paddy Power, son
of owners Sabena and David Power, told PA Sport. “It will be nice for him to
finally run at home — it’s been a long time.

“It remains to be seen if he actually knows he’s going for a race without
having to get on a boat or a plane, though. It’s six furlongs and while I’m the
most optimistic man alive, I have always said there is nothing to stop him
winning over six — I’m sure he stays, the races have just never been run to
suit him.”

With three Group 1 wins to his name, Gordon Lord Byron is worthy of respect
despite being seven, and he was ahead of Sole Power when fourth in Sha Tin’s
Hong Kong Sprint (HK-G1) on his penultimate start in December. Trainer Tom Hogan
told PA Sport, “We did have him entered to run over a mile a couple of weeks
ago, but the ground was testing and that would just test his stamina.

“While he’s still able to mix it with the best sprinters, there’s no real
need to stretch him. His run in Hong Kong in December was very good, he was just
over a length behind Aerovelocity, and that form keeps getting franked.”

Maarek needs to regain old glories if he is to compete here, but the 2013
Prix de l’Abbaye (Fr-G1) hero shaped with promise when fourth in the May 10 Prix
de Saint-Georges (Fr-G3) over Longchamp’s five-furlong strip, while Jersey S.
(Eng-G3) winner Mustajeeb (Nayef) adds further weight to the contest stepping
down in trip after finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).

Dermot Weld may be entering the veteran stage of his training career, but his
star is firmly in the ascendant in 2015 and he unleashes another potential
luminary in Juddmonte’s unbeaten Brooch (Empire Maker) in Saturday’s Lanwades
Stud S. (Ire-G2). Stepping up from a maiden at the Galway festival to add
Killarney’s Vincent O’Brien Ruby S. and the Denny Cordell Lavarack & Lanwades
Stud Fillies S. (Ire-G3) at Gowran Park to her tally, the homebred could be in
line for a stellar campaign if she has made more progress.

“She’s in very good form — Dermot has been very pleased with her,” the
owner-breeder’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe told PA Sport. “She’s unbeaten
and did everything we asked of her last season. We hope she can continue to
progress and we’re expecting a good run.”

While Brooch has a profile that fits a race of this status, the worthiness of
the remainder is questionable. Marco Botti sends across Pelerin (Shamardal), who
scored on her last visit here in Dundalk’s Cooley Fillies S. in October and
could be open to further progression, and also Lady Dutch (Dutch Art). She was
fourth in the Dahlia S. (Eng-G2) over nine furlongs at Newmarket May 3, but that
form was let down in York’s Middleton S. (Eng-G2) last week and she has
improvement to find here.

England

With Sole Power staying at home, Saturday’s Temple S. at Haydock has opened
up for the likes of G Force (Tamayuz) to capitalize. Although he was
disappointing when last of 15 in Ascot’s British Champions (Eng-G1) in October,
the four-year-old had looked a natural throughout the campaign and plundered the
Haydock Sprint Cup (Eng-G1) in decisive fashion. Saddled with a four-pound
penalty as a result, he may also have to contend with the absence of regular
rider Daniel Tudhope, who was kicked in the stomach by a horse on Friday.

“He’s got a penalty, but I just thought it would be a nice place to start him
off,” trainer David O’Meara told PA Sport. “The rain that has fallen will
certainly do him no harm. After this it will be Ascot, but whether that is for
the King’s Stand (Eng-G1) or the Diamond Jubilee (Eng-G1), we’ll decide after
this.”

Godolphin rely on Pretend (Invincible Spirit), who is unproven on turf but
highly talented on Polytrack, as he showed when winning Lingfield’s Hever Sprint
S. May 14 and the six-furlong All-Weather Sprint Championships Conditions S.
April 3. Trainer Charlie Appleby is watching the skies ahead of his keenly
anticipated return to  grass.

“Pretend has had a nice break since his latest start and I have been
delighted with his preparation,” he said. “The one thing I am concerned about is
the ground. We have declared him on good-to-soft and I am hoping that it dries
out a bit — if there is any more rain then it is highly unlikely that he will
run.

“He is in good place at the moment and I want him to have a good experience
ahead of the King’s Stand (at Royal Ascot June 16). I think that running him on
the wrong ground wouldn’t be the best preparation for Royal Ascot.”

Trainer Robert Cowell often has a leading sprinter to play with, and the May
2 Palace House S. (Eng-G3) winner Goldream (Oasis Dream) fits the bill.

“By definition this is a Group 2, not a Group 3, so he has to step up in
grade essentially, but he won the Palace House quite convincingly and he arrives
at Haydock in excellent condition,” Cowell told PA Sport. “I’ve been really
delighted with his preparation. He was working really well before the Palace
House and he has probably come on a notch as well. He’s a lot tighter and his
work has been absolutely brilliant.”