Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
O’BRIENS’ MOUNT DUAL CHALLENGE
Aidan and Donnacha targetting early two-year-old double
AIDAN and Donnacha O’brien should strike with two-year-olds Zagitova and Mount Everest on today’s Cork card which features the Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes.
And Zagitova, a Galileo filly, is particularly interesting in the opener following a debut second, which was full of promise, at Newmarket’s July meeting.
Given a good introduction to racing by Ryan Moore, Zagitova came home well to finish second, beaten a length and a quarter by Ralph Beckett’s Antonia de Vega.
Zagitova shaped on that occasion, over seven furlongs, like she’d appreciate stepping-up in trip, And, with plenty of improvement likely, she sets a decent standard here.
Newcomers from the in-form Jessica Harrington and Dermot Weld yards are interesting, particularly
FOR YOUR EYES, an Iffraaj filly built on the same lines as stable star Alpha Centauri. She caught my eye at Commonstown in the spring. And I’ll be watching her with great interest.
In the one-mile colts maiden, the once-raced Mount Everest is napped to open his account, having shown promise when finishing sixth to Klute on debut at the Curragh last month.
He was noted staying on in the final furlong and, beaten four and a half lengths, he finished a head in front of Anthony Van Dyck, which has gone to win a Killarney maiden and the Group 3 Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown, performances which entitle him to be rated one of the best staying juveniles this season.
Mount Everest was green on debut, should have learned plenty and will be tough to beat today, with Jim Bolger’s GIROLAMO, third on debut at Leopardstown, his chief threat.
In the stakes action, Michael Halford’s progressive three-year-old filly KALAXANA might be capable of making a successful transition into Group 3 company in the Give Thanks, although facing four tough older rivals, plus Ballydoyle’s SIZZLING.
Kalaxana won her maiden in Gowran, followed-up in the Ulster Oaks at Down Royal and, last time, made her stakes breakthrough in the Lenabane Staes in Roscommon.
Tough, progressive and a solid stayer, Kalaxana gets the nod over TURRET
ROCKS, a proven older performer and a close third to Deauville and Hazapour in the Meld at Leopardstown last time, set to concede
13lb to the hopeful selection.