PAT HEALY: With his weekly wrap on the racing stories catching his eyes. Starting with a first Group 1 success for Rossa Ryan aboard the formidable Shaquille.
Shaquille gives Rossa Ryan a first Group 1
Shaquille is an exciting horse. What he did at Royal Ascot was a huge performance, and he produced another at Newmarket last weekend. To pull as hard and race as freely as he did and still win shows he is a formidable racehorse. He’s the one to beat in the sprint division now.
We want to wish Julie Camacho and her team many congratulations on another big Group 1 win with Shaquille in the July Cup.
From our point of view in the Emerald Isle, it was nice to see Rossa Ryan (pictured below) bag his first Group 1. We know Rossa well from his pony racing days. We know all his family; his Uncle Tom Ryan is a top jockey in Australia over jumps and his dad David is a trainer over here.
It’s nice to have seen Rossa’s progression down the years and he’s on the big stage now after his Group 1 success. We wish him all the best.
Outstanding performance
I was in awe of the performance of City Of Troy in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket. God almighty, it was jaw dropping. It’s a long time since we’ve seen a two-year-old do something like that I think. It’s going to be fascinating to watch him progress and hopefully he’ll rock up on Champions Weekend. At the moment you’d have to say he’s the most impressive two-year-old we’ve seen this season.
Justify had a good weekend, with City Of Troy marking a breakthrough Group success in Britain, and he also had a Group 2 winner in Chantilly on Sunday with Ramatuelle. I’m sure Coolmore America will be happy with his progeny.
Five days in Killarney
Killarney is on for five days this week. Everyone in the racing industry loves Killarney – it’s a fantastic town, one of the biggest tourist towns in Ireland, and a great racing festival.
If you’re staying in Killarney, there’s plenty of options; there’s the Plaza Hotel or across the road from it is the Ross Hotel. There’s also the famous McSweeny Arms Hotel, which is another famous racing haunt. If you’re looking for a treat, you can also stay in the Europe Hotel just down the road. It has one of the most best locations of hotels anywhere in the world, right on Lough Leane with fantastic views over the water.
It’s only a 10-minute walk from the centre of the town to the racetrack. Killarney is one of the most scenic racetracks in the world, with the Mangerton and Torc mountains providing a stunning backdrop.
It’s always nice to enjoy a beer in the town after racing and there are many great racing pubs that you must call to, including the Speakeasy Bar, Linehan’s Bar, the Sportsmans Bar and Charlie Foley’s.
Davison at the double at Navan
I was at Navan last Saturday where Jack Davison trained a double. It was Jack’s first double as a trainer and I think Jack might only have 20 horses in his stable, so he’s tipping away and doing well at the game. We offer him our congratulations and best of luck going forward.
Young Sean Bowen a rider to look out for
Young Sean Bowen is attached to Denis Hogan’s yard. He made the trip across the water last Friday to Chester, where he rode a winner for Ian Williams.
Sean is only 16 years of age, he’s a lovely kid and is a name to look out for going forward. We’d like to pass on our congratulations.
Kerry GAA march into final
Kerry had a tough game against Derry on Sunday, but thankfully got over the line to set up a final with Dublin, who beat Monaghan the day before.
We’re down to a Kerry v Dublin final and I’d say it’s what the purists and neutrals would have wanted. It’s the biggest rivalry in Gaelic football and they’re the two winning-most counties in the Sam Maguire.
We haven’t beaten the Dubs in an All-Ireland final since 1985 would you believe, so we’re trying to get back on top.
It’s always a fantastic atmosphere when Kerry and Dublin play and we’re looking forward to going up to ‘The Big House’ [Croke Park] for the final on 30th July.
Zac Purton record in Hong Kong
We have to give a big shout out to Zac Purton on riding a record-breaking 179 winners in a single season in Hong Kong. He’s having a phenomenal time in Hong Kong and, I think, in the next few seasons if he keeps going at this rate, he’ll break Douglas Whyte’s all-time record for winners over there.
I’m sure Zac has that in his mind, but he knows the game as well as anyone and he’ll be taking his time.
Until next week.
PAT
