AUSSIE HOPE REDKIRK ON THE HOOF FOR ROYAL DATE

Well-HeeleD women at royal ascot this week will wear shoes elegantly designed by Jimmy choo or christian louboutin, expensively purchased from Prada. But no set of footwear will be more valuable than those worn by australian sprinter redkirk Warrior and fitted by the man who has saved the seven-yearold’s career. Farrier Julian Mahon will fly into Britain this week to put the finishing touches to a challenger rated at 6-1 for saturday’s Group one Diamond Jubilee stakes. Without Mahon, redkirk Warrior would not even be racing. the chestnut gelding arrived in australia initially destined for retirement after a stint in Hong kong when his problem feet left him impossible to train. Ben Hayes, assistant to his trainer father David, said: ‘redkirk Warrior was always unsound. He had really splayed, flat feet. ‘the ideas of the farriers in Hong kong were not working. Julian, with fresh eyes, asked my dad if he could really try to cut back his feet. He asked if he could do something extreme, we gave permission, and he fixed it. ‘He was going to be retired to the paddocks and the owners just said try to get him sound but the hooves grew back in a better shape. He has been fine ever since and he has had 10 starts and won five.’ those wins have included the Newmarket Handicap and the lightning stakes, two of australia’s most prestigious sprints. the victories give redkirk Warrior probably the best chance of an australian win at the royal meeting since the great Black caviar landed the 2012 Diamond Jubilee stakes. With Frankie Dettori up top, if redkirk Warrior wins on saturday in the showpiece six-furlong event it will be something of a successful homecoming for a racehorse whose unusual story extends far beyond overcoming some dodgy feet. the son of Notnowcato was bred in yorkshire before being sold for 22,000 guineas at tattersalls sales in Newmarket in 2012. known back then simply as redkirk, he went into training with William Haggas and had been gelded before winning a yarmouth maiden over a mile-and-aquarter in June 2014 on his debut, ridden by seb sanders. a month later he won an ascot handicap, again over 10 furlongs, after which he was sold to Hong kong where, after a name change, he was ultimately an unplaced favourite for the 2015 Derby in the former colony for trainer chris so. It was then the foot issues seemed to have ended redkirk Warrior’s career. Hayes, who said the gelding’s blistering times on the training grounds persuaded his father to try him as a sprinter, added: ‘Most of the australian sprinters who have come over here have won at least one of the Newmarket Handicap or lightning stakes, so we know that the form stacks up. ‘He has won four of his races on straight courses and he has great credentials.’