Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Busy on home front
I’VE a pretty busy weekend at home before what is the best week’s racing of the year – Royal Ascot. As things stand, I’ll be over there to ride a couple for Fozzy Stack, namely Sirici and Gino Severini, who will line up in the Queen Mary and mile and a half handicap on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. They both have to improve, but Sirici hasn’t done a lot wrong this season and she’ll love the fast ground and she is a real five furlong filly. Gino Severini has progressed with every run and it’s remarkable, considering that he started off the season in March winning a premier handicap over seven furlongs, that he gets a mile and quarter well. I think he might have a bit more up his sleeve when he steps up to a mile and a half. The horse that I am most looking forward to riding this weekend is Misty Birnam in the listed sprint at Cork tomorrow. I like this horse and he has been going well at home. I think he’ll appreciate another furlong in time, but this looks a decent starting off point for him and it will be good to get him going. He has some fine runs to his I ride Le Vagabond in The Cork Derby. He ran very well in a similar race at Cork a few weeks ago. He has been running over hurdles lately, but a repeat of that run on the same track would give him a chance. I am Limerick tonight, a track I enjoy. Hopefully our luck is in and I think my best chance of a winner could be on Pat Shanahan’s What Wonders Weave in the rated race. I rode her at Dundalk earlier in the year and I liked her a lot. She has since won her maiden for Pat and I think she’ll be competitive in a race that should be run to suit. Collison Course remains a maiden, but he has enough ability to win a maiden and I think he has a big chance in the mile handicap. He is well drawn and that is a big plus around here. He has a nice weight on his back and definitely shouldn’t be discounted. Breeze is progressing with every run and has a solid chance of getting off the mark in the mile maiden. She has posted two good runs this season and she has a decent draw and I think she’ll give a fine account of herself.