GAVIN CROMWELL BLOG: Champion Hurdle Winning Trainer and BETDAQ Brand Ambassador Gavin Cromwell previews his five runners this weekend and looks at shares his thoughts on Saturday’s Epsom Derby.
It’s obviously a big weekend across the Irish Sea, with the Derby taking centre stage on Saturday. I’ll give my thoughts on that later, but here are my views on our runners over the next couple of days.
TRAMORE SATURDAY
We kick things off with Lucky Road in the handicap hurdle (4.10pm).
It’s his first run in a handicap and we’re hoping he can show a bit more than in his maiden hurdles. This run will tell us where we are with him and how we approach things moving forward.
Trixie Mc is having her first run back from a break in the mares bumper (4.40pm). She ran okay in a couple of bumpers last year, though she didn’t quite follow that up at Ludlow on her most recent start.
She’s well in herself and is ready to go, but it looks a pretty hot race with newcomers from a number of the bigger yards and she might just find it tough against those.
NAVAN SATURDAY
We run Life On Earth in the 1m5f handicap (2.10pm) at Navan. There are only five declared and it doesn’t look the deepest of races as a result. There isn’t anything in there that you’d be massively scared of, so we’re hoping she can go well.
It’s her first run on the Flat for us, having not really taken to hurdles, but based on her form in the UK for William Haggas we’d like to think she’d be there or thereabouts.
Camacho filly Mantequilla makes her first start for the yard in the maiden at 3.35pm. It’s going to be a bit of a fact finding mission with her, but she’s got a terrible draw in 18 which obviously makes things tricky.
We’ll learn plenty about her on Saturday and being owned by the Gavin Cromwell Racing Club, it would be great if she could put in a good performance.
LISTOWEL SUNDAY
Our only runner on Sunday is Hummingbird in the 7f handicap (2.55pm).
She’s a lot better than she showed the first day at the Curragh and while it’s a competitive handicap, we’re hoping she’ll put in a much better performance this time around.
The ground at the moment is perfect for her and as long as there isn’t much rain, we’d like to think she can be competitive.
THE DERBY
The fact the Aidan O’Brien camp have supplemented Sir Dragonet is a pretty big hint that he’s their first-string. He’s the one to beat in my eyes, though if you’re looking for one at a price, you could maybe chance Japan again.
He was beaten a fair way in the Dante at York, but like many of Aidan’s, you’d imagine he’d come on plenty for that. He’s always been regarded as a Derby horse and could be the one to give Sir Dragonet most to think about.
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