Murtagh has Champions Festival to remember

Johnny Murtagh had an Irish Champions Festival to remember with three winners over the weekend.

He started with a double at Leopardstown on Saturday when even-pound claimer Rory Mulligan delivered top weight Rahmi with a withering run down the outside to land the €90,000 first prize on offer in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sovereign Handicap for owner Richard McNally and his Curragh-based conditioner.

The six-year-old was one of four contestants for Murtagh, who steered Timarida to victory in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes 29 years ago and saddles Zahrann, one of the leading prospects in this evening’s renewal.

“He had a little bit of a hold-up earlier in the year,” Murtagh explained. “We ran him in Cork when he was 80% so I was very happy with the way he ran. Niall McCullagh rode him and said he would come on a ton.

“This has been the plan for a while but top weight in these handicaps is always difficult but in fairness to Rory, he rode him during the week and said, ‘This horse is flying.’ “The 16 draw wasn’t ideal but for this horse it doesn’t matter. He loves to wing down the outside and you could see from a furlong down he was going to get there.

“It’s nice to get one on the board early. Champions Weekend is a big weekend.” Murtagh doubled up when saddling Alakazi to win the Group 2 Tonybet Solonaway Stakes.

This was an important victory for Murtagh, who had a long and successful partnership with the late Aga Khan as a jockey and trainer and in whose colours, Ben Coen donned on the way to a comfortable win.

Mutasarref (16/1) came out of the pack under Gary Carrol to be a brilliant second for Ger Lyons, a length and a quarter in arrears.

“You dream about days like today,” said Murtagh. “I’ve been telling Pat Downes all year how good this horse was. He was a bit of a work in progress. He was a bit aggressive earlier in the year, Ben was saying he’s not on the bridle or off the bridle.

“His last few bits of work have been great; he’s learning on the job. We were a little bit disappointed he didn’t win the last time, but we knew coming here that he was going to be a different proposition.

“He’s a beautiful horse and a beautiful horse to train. I think he can go all the way. He’s in at Ascot. He probably doesn’t want the ground too soft, and Ben said he handled that ground really well. I think he deserves a shot at it; he’s after winning a Group 2.

“I’d love to keep him for next year as well.” He completed the weekend in the last race of the Festival at the Curragh on Sunday when jockey Ben Coen did the steering successfully for the second of those, coming with a wet sail on 11/2 second favourite Shaool to deliver in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Northfields Handicap.

“It’s unbelievable this game,” said Murtagh. “You’re up one minute, down the next. I left Leopardstown after two winners yesterday a little bit despondent because I thought we had a real chance (in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes with Zahrann, who he reported to have suffered some cuts and nicks and maintained did not give his true running in yesterday’s Leopardstown feature).

“But this filly is improving a lot. She loves soft ground and had some really solid runs. She’s been going very well at home. Ben gave her a beautiful ride, rode her really well and she just came beautifully in the last furlong and a half.

“It’s great for the lads (Broadfield Group Syndicate). Some of these guys have come home all the way from America to see her run today. They’ve been part of the syndicate but this is the first time they’ve been home this year so it’s great when it works out like that.”