Cork Racecourse kick off an exciting two-day fixture this weekend with some quality Flat fare on Friday evening, including the Goffs Irish EBF Polonia Stakes which will see Sacred Bridge head the field.
A fascinating collection of 15 fillies have been declared to race up the impressive Cork Sprint track vying for listed race honours in this €52,500 contest with the 110-rated Sacred Bridge bidding to get back to winning ways for trainer Ger Lyons and Colin Keane in the famous Juddmonte colours.
Lyons will saddle two runners in the race with two-time winner Head Mistress making her seasonal debut.
Group 2 winner Velocidad (Declan McDonogh) is one of two runners for Joseph O’Brien, who also runs Brostaigh (Dylan Browne McMonagle), while his brother Donnacha saddles the talented Elliptic, who was fourth in the Cork Stakes at this track last month and like Brostaigh, runs in the colours of the siblings’ mother, Annmarie.
Johnny Murtagh’s listed winner Ladies Church will be ridden by Ben Coen and represents the trainer/jockey combination that claimed this race last year with Measure Of Magic, while the Aidan O’Brien-trained Prettiest adds further intrigue to a vintage renewal of this race.
Trainer Michael O’Callaghan is hoping for a big run from his challenger, Siesta Beach. The daughter of Oasis Dream won her maiden at Naas last year and is likely to keep this sort of company this season.
“Siesta Beach won her maiden last year so we will be trying to get some black type with her this year. We’re not tilting at windmills with her though, and I think she’s capable of getting it,” O’Callaghan said. “This is a trappy affair with Sacred Bridge, Velocidad, Prettiest and Red Lacewing (who won a maiden Siesta Beach finished fourth in at Naas last year and is trained by Fozzy Stack) but it’s time to get started. “She worked well and I am hopeful she will give a good account of herself. Black type will be our target with her for the season.”
As well as the listed race down for decision on Friday, the Mallow Handicap over seven furlongs looks a very competitive affair.
A full field of 25 runners go to post chasing the lion’s share of €80,000 on offer with the Denis Hogan-trained Majestic Colt topping the weights after a 979-day lay-off.
The Ger Lyons-trained Mutasarref is seeking a hat-trick and the Jack Davison-trained Massaman is looking for a third win of the season in four starts.
O’Callaghan is also represented here with Fastnet Crown, who ran a fine race in both the English Cambridgeshire and the Irish Cambridgeshire last season and kicked off this campaign at Cork last month.
“This is a great pot and it’s a race I picked out for Fastnet Crown a little while ago as I looked through the programme for some options,” said the Crotanstown Stud conditioner. “We will be pot-hunting with him this year and I think he will pick up one or two of these kinds of races before the year is out. “He was third in the Irish Cambridgeshire over a mile at The Curragh and fifth in the English Cambridgeshire in Newmarket over a mile and one. He won over six furlongs at The Curragh last year and was second in Cork before that, so he’s very versatile trip-wise. “He wouldn’t want it soft but there isn’t much rain forecast so I’m not worried about that.
“He has come on a lot for his run in Cork three weeks ago. That was round the bend too rather than the lovely straight seven-furlong track the Cork Mallow Handicap is run on and on which Fastnet Rock showed a liking for last year. It suits him better. “I really do think he can land one or two of these pots through the season and it would grand if he started here.”