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Fairyhouse & Roscommon Racing Reports

Today was the first day two meetings were scheduled in Ireland since the resumption of racing last Monday. The afternoon’s action was at Fairyhouse, with the evening meeting going ahead at Roscommon. Incredibly the 15 races today were won by 14 trainers and 13 jockeys.

Fairyhouse

Johnny Murtagh and Gary Halpin won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for three-year-old colts and geldings with Koolasice (13/8f) as the son of Kodiac had seven and a half lengths to spare over Ecclesiastical. The trainer went on to complete a double when Pearl Warrior (10/1) took the Ratoath Handicap with Shane Kelly in the plate.

Trainer Tom McCourt had his third win since the resumption of racing courtesy of De Mazarro in the first division of the Meath Handicap under Niall McCullagh. Top National Hunt jockey Rachael Blackmore claimed the second division of the race on Oromo (28/1) for Karl Thornton.

Joseph O’Brien and Declan McDonogh teamed up for the opening Irish EBF Median Sires Maiden with State Of Rest (6/1), while Colin Keane’s hot spell continued as he rode a winner for Noel Meade in Powerful Ted.

Acquiescent (9/2) was a winner for John Murphy and Killian Leonard in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Fillies) Maiden over 6 furlongs, while Mogwli (4/1) came home in front for Willie McCreery and Nathan Crosse in the Fairyhouse Handicap.

Roscommon

The Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas-winning trainer Ger Lyons was on the score sheet again as Indicative Vote (4/1) made every yard a winning one in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction for colts and geldings under jockey Gary Carroll.

Carroll notched up a double when the Gavin Cromwell-trained Tashman (11/1) took the Ivan Connaughton Auctioneers No Sale No Fee Handicap (Division 1). Shane Foley had his 11th winner in eight days when winning the second division of the race, with Ger O’Leary’s Will Be King (14/1) providing him with another visit to the No. 1 spot.

Paddy Twomey, who had a winner at Leopardstown yesterday, had another this evening as odds-on favourite Strongbowe (5/6f), bought at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale in 2018, took the Roscommon Maiden in the hands of Billy Lee, another rider who is enjoying plenty winners at the moment.

Lee claimed at double at the Connacht track when getting handicap debutant Alexei Vronsky (3/1f) up by a nose in the Global Rossie Day On 21st June Handicap for Michael O’Callaghan.

Ronan Whelan delivered the Michael Halford-trained Slieve Bearnagh (8/1) late to edge out Golden Days by a neck in the www.roscommonracecourse.ie Handicap, while Dermot Weld saddled Zenya (7/1) to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for three-year-old fillies under Oisín Orr.

Keane and Lyons win Listed races at Leopardstown

The excellent form of Colin Keane and Ger Lyons continued as the combination won both Listed prizes at Leopardstown on Sunday, with the rider ending the day with a treble.

Nickajack Cave (12/1) registered the first win of the day for Keane and Lyons in the Listed Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes as the grey Kendargent gelding made his move three furlongs out, before catching Twilight Payment (15/8f) a furlong and a half from the winning line. The winner had a length and a half to spare at the line.

Heliac (5/2f), in the Siskin colours of Prince Khalid Abdullah, won the Listed Noblesse Stakes, edging ahead of the brave Fresnel at the two furlong pole, eventually winning by a neck, with Loveisthehigherlaw a half-length back in third.

Keane rounded off his weekend in style, when winning aboard Athlumney Hall (12/1) for his father, Gerry, in the Leopardstown Handicap.

Dermot Weld had his first winner since the resumption of racing as he took the opening Leopardstown Fillies Maiden with the daughter of Siyouni, Eldama (2/1f), under Oisín Orr.

Aidan O’Brien produced a smart-looking colt in Napa Valley (11/8f) in the Leopardstown (C&G) Maiden for three-year-olds. A half-brother to former champion two-year-old filly Tiggy Wiggy, the son of Galileo was a three and a quarter lengths victor from Aztec Parade.

Dollar Value (18/1) was brave in winning the Holden Plant Rental Handicap under Niall McCullagh, with the five-year-old making all in the 12-furlong contest for trainer Tom McCourt.

Moll (9/4f) was a winning favourite on her handicap debut and first appearance for trainer Paddy Twomey in the Leopardstown Handicap for three-year-olds. Billy Lee won on the daughter of Camelot, with the rider completing a double when Andy Oliver’s Confidence High (11/8f) won for the second time in five days in the concluding seven-furlong Leopardstown Handicap.

Peaceful part of O’Brien/Heffernan four-timer at The Curragh

Last weekend, Aidan O’Brien enjoyed Qipco 1000 Guineas success with Love, this weekend he claimed the Group 1 Tattersalls 1000 Guineas with another impressive winner, Peaceful (3/1).

Peaceful, a maiden winner at Thurles last October had 14 pounds to find on the 6/5 favourite and Group 1 winning juvenile Albigna according to the ratings.

The daughter of Galileo, however, was an impressive winner on Saturday evening, providing her trainer with a ninth success in the race, and her rider, Séamie Heffernan, with his fourth.

With Valeria Messalina making the early running, the eventual winner chased her throughout before Heffernan took Peaceful to the head of the field with a furlong to race. Despite a challenge from Fancy Blue, So Wonderful and New York Girl, Heffernan’s mount stayed on well to claim a two-length victory, with the disappointing favourite Albigna never looking comfortable in the fillies’ Classic and finishing unplaced.

In what turned out to be an O’Brien family clean sweep of the first four places, the runner-up Fancy Blue (12/1) is trained by Donnacha, Aidan’s son, third-placed So Wonderful (13/2), who was a further head back, is trained at Ballydoyle by O’Brien Senior, while fourth placed filly New York Girl (14/1), another head further behind, is trained by Joseph O’Brien.

Following the race, Aidan O’Brien said:

“Donnacha (O’Brien) loved her when he won on her in Thurles last year and then she went to Newmarket and couldn’t walk a yard in the heavy ground but still kept fighting and wasn’t beaten far at the line. That’s the sign of a really good filly, she just wouldn’t lie down. She’s obviously very good.”

Peaceful’s win made her sire, Galileo, the winning-most sire of Group 1 horses since the introduction of the European pattern in 1971, as the Coolmore-based stallion claimed his 85th winner at the highest level, moving him ahead of the deceased Danehill.

Lancaster House claimed an all-the-way success in the Coolmore Calyx Gladness Stakes, providing Aidan O’Brien and Séamie Heffernan with the second leg of their Curragh four-timer. Winner of his first three outings last year, Heffernan bounced him into an early lead. With his market rival, the Joseph O’Brien-trained Speak In Colours, appearing to be travelling better a furlong out, Lancaster House (6/4) found plenty for his rider’s urgings to give O’Brien a first win in the race since Excelebration in 2012.

Snow (5/1), a sister to 2018 Doncaster St Leger winner Kew Gardens, was the Ballydoyle combination first winner of the day, as she beat her stable companion Salsa by three-quarters of a length in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.

The much-travelled Magic Wand (4/5f) brought up the O’Brien/Heffernan four-timer when winning the final race on the card, the Lanwades Stud Stakes (Group 2) over a mile. The mare had four and a half lengths in hand on Hamariyna (11/2) with Silk Forest (11/4) another two and a quarter lengths back.

Magic Wand and Séamie Heffernan.

Jessica Harrington, whose Albigna disappointed in the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas, won the Tally-Ho Stud Irish EBF Fillies Maiden with 30,000 guineas purchase Dickiedoods (5/2f), under Shane Foley.

Gavin Cromwell’s Mutadaffeq (16/1) won the EquiNectar Handicap when edging out Jerandme by a nose, while Edification (14/1) came home late to snatch the Irish Stallion Farms EBF “Ragusa” Handicap for Mark Fahey and jockey Gavin Ryan. .

Colin Keane, winning rider in Friday’s Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas, partnered Kieran Cotter’s Strong Johnson (7/2f) to victory in the Platinum Bloodstock & Eyrefield House Stud Handicap.

Bundesliga has set the path for football and sports to return

The German top flight resumed on May 16 and it has set the precedents for sports to return to television screens across the globe. As much of Europe’s elite clubs watched in earnest, not ot mention the millions of sport starved fans hastily finding out how to watch Bundesliga football.

Football clubs are in dire financial straits. This has been an underlying fact for quite some time and the coronavirus pandemic has now brought to the forefront. But it is now. 

Domestic leagues in Belgium, France and Netherlands were decided as is. But Germany took the more headstrong approach. They decided to resume Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. Adjusting to the conditions and tackling whatever problems that came their way. 

Unique approaches to training have been adopted. Training in small groups is the way forward. So, are video links for team meetings. German clubs are at the forefront of global sports and they have paved the way for their resumption. 

All eyes were glued to reports from Prussia in the days leading up to May 16. Premier League bosses were interested. So, were NBA and NFL chiefs across the Atlantic. 

Three weeks in their return, Bundesliga was under scrutiny from sporting big wigs and they have come out with flying numbers. There has been little to suggest otherwise. 

As Bayern Munich continue their march to yet another domestic title, despite Borussia Dortmund’s best efforts to catch them, there is more attention to what is going behind the scenes. Prior to the restart, a lot of questions were raised. 

There was news of players and backroom staff testing positive of the deadly virus. Out of the 1,724 individuals tested, results of 10 came back positive. The good news was that none of the 10 individuals showed symptoms. The gambit paid off. Stricter measures were adopted and no such news has appeared again. With greater scrutiny, Bundesliga has set the roadmap for others to follow. 

Portugal’s Liga NOS is the first to follow suit. On June 3, Portimonense hosted Gil Vicente FC to mark the resumption of Portuguese top flight football. Games will be played over the next five days, with Rio Ave and Pacos de Ferreira playing the final fixture late on June 7. With an incident to report and only sporting action grabbing highlights, the experiment has seemed to work.

Similarly, football leagues resumed in Austria, Denmark and Greece. The doors to sporting action have been opened. But as it stands, all eyes are set on England and Spain. The two biggest leagues in club football. 

There is more revenue at stake there. Not to mention the fate of the championship winners. Liverpool have all but wrapped up the title to end their 30-year title wait. However, they still need two more wins from their remaining nine league outings. Elsewhere in the Iberian Peninsula, Barcelona and Real Madrid are locked in a battle for domestic supremacy. 

Football had to return. If it hadn’t, a lot of clubs would have gone in administration. Thousands of jobs would have come under contention. Solvency and furloughing are options that clubs have not accepted at the moment but they would have to consider it.

The beautiful game has returned but not in its entirety. You will be hard pressed to find fans in stadiums for quite some time. The risk factor is too huge. This is why social gatherings have been limited to ten or less people across the world. Bundesliga might take the lead at that too and have them in the stands sooner rather than later. Germany is returning to work in mid-June and the blanket travel ban comes off at the same time.

However, one thing is for certain. Sports as we know has changed. For better or for worse, only time will tell. 

Siskin wins Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas for Keane and Lyons

Last year’s Phoenix Stakes winner, Siskin, gave trainer Ger Lyons his first Classic when running out an impressive winner of the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh under Colin Keane.

The unbeaten colt, in the colours of Prince Khalid Abdullah, overcame trouble in running as he found himself behind the leaders, on the rail, as the race was about to unfold.

Siskin and Colin Keane win the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas.

Jockey Colin Keane kept his cool and showed great patience as he manoeuvred the eventual winner to the outside of the 11-runner field, allowing the son of First Defence show a blistering turn of foot in the closing stages.

Siskin, who had never run over the mile distance of the Guineas before, dispelled all doubts about his ability to stay eight-furlongs, as the 2-1 favourite powered on in the final half-furlong to win with a little in hand.

Vatican City, winner of a Dundalk maiden, was best of the Aidan O’Brien runners in the first Irish Classic of the season, coming home late to clinch the runner-up spot, a length and three-quarters behind the now dual Group 1 winner. Lope Y Fernandez, the more fancied of the Ballydoyle runners was third, another three-quarters of a length behind his stablemate, with another Coolmore-owned colt, Armory, in fourth.

The winning trainer said of today’s success:

“This means everything, it means 30 years’ hard graft for everybody – to win a Guineas was always my number one and hopefully it’s the first of many. That was hard work and full credit to Colin Keane. He was out there on his own today against a football team and him and the horse got it right. The horse is a legend and bailed him out.”

Ger Lyons, pictured with his first Classic winner, Siskin.

Colin Keane, who like Lyons was winning his first Classic, said of Siskin:

“He is a very straightforward horse. He got me out of trouble when I needed to quicken up, and put the race to bed. He’s a horse of dreams.”

Ger Lyons confirmed that the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas victor will not travel to Royal Ascot next week and suggested the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood as a possible next target.

Tallaght Stadium to get 7.7 million upgrade

Tallaght Stadium will become a four stand stadium with capacity now set to be 10,000. South Dublin County Council confirmed that the venue will receive a 7.7 million upgrade.

RTE Sport report that a new 2,000 seat North Stand will be built. It will include a Shamrock Rovers club shop and offices. The West Stand of the stadium is set to also be developed. This will include a corporate area. As we know Tallaght Stadium is owned by the South Dublin County Council. Shamrock Rovers play their home games here and according to RTE allowed a maximum of 40 games during the season.

The new plan was voted on and agreed on by elected members on Monday last. Tallaght Stadium has also music events in the past and they are now looking at promoting this a bit more. The stadium will now be classed as a UEFA Category 4 venue and it will be allowed to host any European competition games, including the Champions League. These would be  great matches for people to use their bonus code for new customers at bet365

South Dublin County Council released a statement saying, ‘South Dublin County Council has announced a €7.7m upgrade of Tallaght Stadium that includes the building of a new North Stand and development of the West Stand to a high-quality corporate area. The plans were agreed by elected members of the Council at the recent June Council meeting”.

Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa – Week 1 Games

Due to circumstances surrounding Covid-19 SANZAAR has suspended the regular 2020 Super Rugby season but reformatted tournaments will be played within member countries once government restrictions allow it.

Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa will be the first professional rugby competition in the world to have fans return en-masse in the Covid-19 era when the competition kicks off in Dunedin on Saturday, 13th June.

Aotearoa is the Māori name for New Zealand. It was originally used by the Māori people in reference to only the North Island but, since the late 19th century, the word has come to refer to the country as a whole.

Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa is a 10-week competition involving New Zealand’s five Investec Super Rugby clubs – the Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders – playing each other home and away. There will be two matches every weekend one on Saturdays and another on Sundays.

It will kick off in New Zealand on Saturday, 13th June when the Highlanders host the Chiefs at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, while the following day the Blues host the Hurricanes at Eden Park in Auckland.

Sat 13 June: Highlanders v Chiefs at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Date Saturday 13 June, kick-off 8.05 am Irish time.
Referee Paul Williams, AR1 Brendon Pickerill, AR2 Ben O’Keeffe, TMO James Doleman.

Match Stats

The Chiefs have lost only one of their last five Super Rugby games against the Highlanders (W3, D1), however, the last encounter between the teams in the competition ended in a 31-31 draw.

The Highlanders have lost five of their last six completed Super Rugby games (W1), including their last three on the bounce.

Each of the Chiefs’ last four Super Rugby games have been won by the away team on the day, with the Hamilton-based squad picking up two wins and two defeats in that stretch.

The Chiefs have conceded 10+ penalties in six of their last seven Super Rugby fixtures, as many times as they had done so in their 24 games prior.

Shannon Frizell (Highlanders) has scored two tries in just 90 minutes of Super Rugby action against the Chiefs, as well as making three offloads in that time.

Sun 14 June: Blues v Hurricanes at Eden Park, Auckland
Date Sunday 14 June, kick-off 4.35am Irish time.
Referee Mike Fraser, AR1 Ben O’Keeffe, AR2 James Doleman, TMO Brendon Pickerill.

Match Stats

The Blues picked up a 24-15 win in their last Super Rugby meeting with the Hurricanes, breaking a nine-game losing streak against them in the process.

The Hurricanes have won on each of their last five visits to face the Blues in Super Rugby, more times than they had won in all 12 such meetings prior (W4).

The Blues have won their last four Super Rugby games on the bounce; the last time they won more in succession was a seven-game stretch in the 2011 campaign which was bookended with wins against the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes have finished each of their last 10 Super Rugby games without losing a single scrum on their own feed, winning a total of 84 scrums in that stretch.

Beauden Barrett has scored three tries and made three try assists across his last four Super Rugby games between the Blues and Hurricanes; however, this will be the first time he’s represented the Auckland side against his former club.

Sky Sports will have live coverage of both games this weekend.

O’Brien Eyeing Early Season Success On Irish Soil

If you look up the word ‘prolific’ in the dictionary, you might just see a picture of Aidan O’Brien. The Ballydoyle trainer has won pretty much everything there is to win in flat racing on both sides of the Irish Sea, and his record in the ‘classics’ of Ireland is simply unrivalled.

He will head into the revised 2020 campaign with ambitions of further glory, and he will have numerous chances to achieve just that as the curtain is raised on the new season on Monday, June 8.

It won’t be long until the first majors come round, with Curragh hosting the Guineas weekender on June 12-13, and two weeks after that the same venue will welcome the Irish Derby. O’Brien is well placed for success too, with his raider Armory priced at 7/2 in the Irish 1,000 Guineas betting odds with Betway. The Futurity Stakes winner enjoyed a fine two-year-old campaign, and he can strike a blow for the Coolmore Stud with victory in the June 12 classic.

Of course, it is the Irish Derby that really tends to capture the imagination of O’Brien. He is a 13-time winner of the race – nobody has trained more Derby champions than the 50-year-old – and he heads to Curragh on the back of an astonishing triumph in the 1m 4f renewal 12 months ago.

Most pundits expected Anthony van Dyck, another O’Brien charge, to romp home at around the even money mark, but the offspring of Galileo was humbled by Sovereign, a 33/1 outsider who was the trainer’s third or fourth string in the race.

Aided by a fine ride from Padraig Beggy, the Coolmore colt blasted into the lead early on and never looked like relinquishing his stranglehold, leaving Anthony van Dyck trailing in his wake in a six-length victory.

Whilst wholly unexpected, it was confirmation once more that Aidan O’Brien is the ultimate Irish Derby trainer, and in 2020 he has a cavalcade of contenders for a magnificent fourteenth triumph in the race.

Mogul Has the Power

Despite the halving of the Irish Derby prize money as per the Irish Mirror, O’Brien’s connections will be playing a strong hand at Curragh. Of the entries, it is perhaps Mogul who catches the eye most prominently. A winner at the course last season in the EBF Maiden, the Coolmore two-year-old romped home in the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown in September as if to prove his burgeoning reputation.

Of course, O’Brien’s whole entourage will be well-fancied given his history in the race, and Innisfree will be another contender at around the 5/1 mark that will be supported. The bay colt finished around four lengths clear of Mogul at Newcastle in November, and he too is a Class 1 champion at Curragh having landed the Beresford Stakes in September. The suspicion is that he will prefer softer ground, however, so keep an eye on the forecast to see if he can thrive.

Royal Dornoch won a quality renewal at Newmarket from Kameko in September, while Vatican City showed a real turn of pace in victory at Dundalk in October.

Whichever of his horses you fancy, it is clear that Aidan O’Brien is well placed to strike gold once more at the Irish Derby.

Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa’s trial law innovations

Golden point tie breakers, the ability for teams to replace players following a red card, and a renewed focus from referees on ensuring a fair contest at the breakdown are among the innovations fans will notice when Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa kicks off this weekend.

The new-look competition begins on Saturday, 13 June when the Highlanders play the Chiefs at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, with the Blues playing the Hurricanes at Eden Park on Sunday, 14 June.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) Head of Professional Rugby Chris Lendrum said Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa provided an opportunity to trial innovations designed to make the game more exciting for fans and players alike.

“We want this competition to look and feel different. We’ve had great support from our coaches, players and referees to make Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa faster, safer and more exciting than ever before.”

Golden point

If a match is tied after 80 minutes of regular time, the result will be decided by golden point. The first team to score – by drop goal, penalty kick, or try – during a 10-minute period of extra time will take the win and earn four competition points.

“Draws can often leave everyone feeling a little empty and after feedback from our coaches and players we have added the golden point rule,” Lendrum said. “We’ve seen the excitement it can generate in other codes and we think adds a real edge.”

If a team loses via golden point, they can still earn bonus points for scoring three or more tries than the opposition in either regular time or extra time.

Points allocation:

4 competition points to the winning team

1 competition point to the losing team

2 competition points to each team if neither team scores during extra time

1 competition point to any team scoring three tries or more than the opposition

Red card change

Players who receive a red card can be replaced with another player 20 minutes after they are sent from the field. The sent-off player cannot return to the field and will face Sanzaar’s existing judicial process. There is no change to the yellow card sanction.

“While players should, and still will be, punished for foul play, red cards can sometimes have too much of an effect on a match,” Lendrum said. “There are no winners when a player is red carded, but paying rugby fans, players and coaches want to see a fair contest. Replacing a player after 20 minutes strikes the right balance.”

The breakdown

NZR National Referee Manager Bryce Lawrence said the existing laws at the breakdown would be applied more strictly to create faster attacking ball and a fairer contest.

“Fans enjoy Investec Super Rugby because it’s a fantastic spectacle and our referees like to allow the game to flow. We’re confident we’ll see a contest that is faster, fairer, safer and easier to understand. We’re not changing the laws of the game, we’re being stricter about how we referee them.”

The key focal points for the referees at the breakdown are summarised as follows:

Ball carriers will be allowed only one dynamic movement after being tackled.

Crawling, or any secondary movement other than placing or passing, will be penalised.

Tacklers will be expected to roll away immediately in the direction of the side-line. This will be a referee’s “number one priority” at the tackle.

There will be “extra focus” on the offside line with defenders expected to be “clearly” onside to provide attacking teams more space.

Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa games will be live on Sky Sports.

Vodafone Super Rugby Australia to begin on Friday, 3rd July

Vodafone Super Rugby Australia is planned to kick-off on Friday, 3rd July when the Queensland Reds host the NSW Waratahs in Brisbane.

Super Rugby Australia will comprise the four Super Rugby clubs: Brumbies, Reds, Rebels and Waratahs, plus the Western Force, who were part of Super Rugby until 2017 and will return for 2020 as part of Australia’s reformatted competition.

The five-team competition will be contested over 12 consecutive weeks, with 10 weeks of round-robin action, with teams to face each other twice and have two byes each, before a two-week finals series featuring a Qualifying Final on 12th September and a Final on 19th September.

All teams will start on zero competition points under the revised domestic format, with the 15-team three-conference Vodafone Super Rugby competition abandoned for 2020 after seven rounds.

The new season gets underway with the longest-running rivalry in Australian rugby when the Queensland Reds host the NSW Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday, 3rd July. The following night in Canberra, the Brumbies will host the Melbourne Rebels.

The SANZAAR tournaments will be the first professional rugby competitions to launch since the global Covid-19 shutdown in March. Western Force will begin its campaign in Round 2 after an opening round bye.

All matches to kick off the Vodafone Super Rugby Australia season will be played behind closed doors.

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