YES HE KEN
O’brien able to Cook up a double
KENYA and James Cook should give Aidan O’brien a two-year-old double at Leopardstown’s penultimate flat meeting of the season tomorrow. Runaway winner of a Cork maiden last week, Kenya steps into Group 3 company with a favourite’s chance in the Killavullan Stakes while James Cook, a full-brother to last year’s Arc winner Found, will be expected to build on his promising debut run at Naas in the one-mile colts’ maiden. A strapping son of Galileo, Kenya was a real eye-catcher on debut at Naas, making late headway to finish third behind odds-on stable-companion Flag Of Honour. Turned out 10 days later, in Cork last Saturday, Kenya made all for Emmet Mcnamara and bolted-up by eight lengths from Stellar Eclipse (runs at Fairyhouse today). The Ballydoyle colt clearly handles an ease in the ground, looks a potentially high-class performer and, although having his third run in less than three weeks, he gets the vote in the feature. Dangers include stable-companion BYE BYE BABY, winner of a Newmarket maiden and a listed fillies event at Navan, the Ger Lyons-trained MCMUNIGAL, impressive winner of a newcomers event at Naas on his only start, and Jessica Harrington’s, inset, LANDSHARK, successful on his debut at Leopardstown before proving no match (beaten six lengths) for subsequent Middle Park and Dewhurst winner US Navy Flag at the Curragh. The prospects of Mcmunigal in the Killavullan should be advertised by James Cook in the preceding maiden as Aidan O’brien’s charge was beaten four lengths by that rival on his debut in a field of newcomers at Naas. Ridden that day by Ryan Moore, James Cook shaped with plenty of promise in a race from which his ninth-placed stable-companion Flag Of Honour has emerged to triumph. And, with significant improvement expected, he sets a high standard in a race which also features 81-rated MEAGHER’S FLAG and MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS,A promising third to Saracen Knight on his recent debut at Gowran Park.