Seahorse sets sail for Curragh’s big prize

PAUL NOLAN is keeping his fingers crossed HMS Seahorse can bag some of the huge prize-money on offer in the Friends Of The Curragh Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh today.

Fourth in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, and subsequently third in a Grade One at Punchestown, the former Aidan O’Brien inmate bolted up on his return to the Flat at the Curragh in June – earning him a hefty 19lb rise in the ratings.

He was beaten at cramped odds back over obstacles at the Galway Festival on his most recent outing and Nolan is hoping he can bounce back in Sunday’s €600,000 feature.

He said: ‘He’s in good form and I suppose the way he acted on the soft ground at the Curragh the last day, the more rain the better.

‘The 19lb penalty is probably as big a penalty as you could get, so we’ll see how he copes with that.

It’s very seldom you see a horse getting that much of a whack, so hopefully the handicapper is right.

‘No matter what happens, in fairness to the little horse he’s paid his way so far. There’s massive prize-money on offer and hopefully he’ll get some of it.’

The clear favourite is one-time Classic hope Waterville.

A half-brother to multiple Group One-winning filly Sea Of Class, the Camelot colt was the buzz horse at Ballydoyle in the spring, with O’Brien mentioning him as a potential Derby candidate.

Those aspirations ultimately went up in smoke, with the three-yearold suffering three successive odds-on defeats before eventually coming good on his handicap debut at Limerick in June.