Joseph O’Brien’s international perspective is famed globally but even by his own standards the Irish trainer looks to have uncovered a plum Grade One opportunity for his star older horse, Al Riffa, in Saratoga on Saturday night.
Due to Al Riffa’s interrupted three-year-old career, the colt that proved top-class at two gets into the $1 million Manhattan Stakes in receipt of a 6lb weight concession from most of his opposition.
It means top US jockey Johnny Velazquez having to sweat down to 8.6 but the pay off in a 9½-furlong event due off at 10.36 Irish-time could be another top-flight addition to O’Brien’s already bulging international CV.
That already contains a pair of Melbourne Cups and Iridessa’s Breeders Cup success in 2019, as well as State Of Rest’s Saratoga Derby victory three years ago.
The Manhattan is comparatively new territory from an overseas perspective and is part of the Belmont Stakes undercard at Saratoga which hosts the final leg of the US Triple Crown at 11.41pm. The Belmont track in New York is being refurbished.
Wherever the Manhattan might be run, it’s hard not to think a horse capable of running the brilliant Arc winner Ace Impact to three parts of a length last summer would be a formidable opponent anyway, even if Godolphin’s pair Nations Pride and Measured Time didn’t have to concede him a substantial chunk of weight.
Al Riffa will break from stall six of the nine runners and has both Godolphin rivals on his outside in a contest which could take place on ground with some dig in it, an ideal scenario for the O’Brien hope.
The Irish hope is a 6/1 in Morning Line betting as the dominant local trainer Chad Brown, a Manhattan winner eight times in the last dozen years, saddles Program Trading and I’m Very Busy.
Brown also has the Belmont Stakes favourite in the Coolmore partnership’s Sierra Leone. Beaten a nose by Mystik Dan in last month’s Kentucky Derby, the colt has a new rider in Frenchman Flavin Prat with Tyler Gaffalione paying the price for Sierra Leone’s wayward stretch run at Churchill Downs. He again clashes with Mystik Dan as well as the Preakness hero Seize The Grey.
Irish jockey Ben Curtis finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby on Honor Marie but has been replaced by another French rider, Florent Geroux. The 156th Belmont’s relocation means it has been reduced to 10 furlongs from a mile and a half.
After last week’s classic glut, the weekend action closer to home isn’t so elite although Jessica Harrington does send her filly Starry Heavens to Haydock for Saturday’s Group Three Lester Piggott Stakes.
Jamie Spencer has been snapped up for the Irish hope who belied big odds to run third to Candleford in the Curragh’s Orby Stakes on her last start over Guineas weekend.
Shane Foley stays at home to ride for Harrington at Navan, including on Bluedrum in the featured Listed Kooyonga Stakes over a mile. Ryan Moore will also be on duty at Navan where he looks the one to beat when teaming up with Everlasting in the feature event.
After finishing third to Ezeliya in the Salsabil over 10 furlongs here, the Kingman filly was supplemented into the Irish 1,000 Guineas only not to fire behind Fallen Angel.
Ezeliya’s Epsom Oaks victory last weekend puts a whole new slant on that previous course effort and it looks worth taking a chance on Everlasting putting that lacklustre Guineas effort well behind her.
Moore is on Alfred Tennyson in the opening juvenile maiden and he should step up considerably from his Tipperary debut. Whether that will be enough to cope with Red Evolution though is another matter.
An awful lot went wrong for Red Evolution on his own Curragh debut but the expensive half-brother to River Tiber still was only narrowly edged out by Henri Matisse and Cadogan in a desperate finish.
With that experience under his belt, and a smoother passage through the race, Colin Keane’s mount should be a prime contender.
The rest of the weekend action is over jumps at Punchestown, a curious piece of scheduling for June, but one which should pay off for Icare Desbois at least in Saturday’s opener. The grey threw away victory when unseating Paul Townend at the last in Killarney last month.
Last year’s Galway Plate hero Ash Tree Meadow brings a touch of quality back over flights in Sunday’s first race.
