La Barka offers some summer jumping intrigue

TODAY we have the two Irish classics and Group 1 flat horses at the Curragh, speedsters at Haydock and the second leg of the Triple Crown in the US.

However, the most intriguing race of the day is the Prix La Barka at Auteuil. It’s a bit like a mini Eurovision and set up for those who no longer have a chance at winning the real thing - England and Ireland.

It’s a field of all kinds of everything, hurdlers and chasers - Thousand Stars, Un De Sceaux from the Mullins yard, Paul Nicholls’ Ptit Zig, Simonsig from Nicky Henderson, Al Ferof for Dan Skelton and the somewhat disappointing Gevrey Chambertin and Ballynagour for David Pipe, and Nick Williams’ Aubusson just touched off by Thousand Stars in the Grade 1 Grand Prix D’automne here in November.

Un De Sceaux was a bit underwhelming in his last two runs and it would be nice to see him end his season back in the winner’s enclosure though a win for Thousand Stars would be a pretty emotional result.

Frankel the 13th

There were many quick to note the coincidences with Frankel’s son Cunco after he had made a winning debut last Friday, May 13th while his illustrious father had made his first winning racecourse appearance on August 13th 2010.

Unfortunately, if he’s looking for big race glory next season, there is no Friday 13th except in January and October, not the months to seek further success for the bluebloods.

Spoiler role

In the US, jockey Kent Desormeaux has twice been two-thirds of the way down the road to Triple Crown success. He missed out by the narrowest of margins on Real Quiet in 1995 when he was caught in the final strides of the Belmont. Years later Big Brown arrived in New York for the Belmont with a seemingly great chance of Triple Crown immorality but Desormeaux had to ease him out of the race heading round the final bend.

Tonight there’s a twist of fate and reversal of roles as Desmoreaux on Exaggerator represents the biggest obstacle to Nyquist’s quest for the second Triple Crown in two years after a 36-year break.

Mountain to climb

The last time an Irish trainer other than Aidan O’Brien won the Irish 2000 Guineas was in 1988 - Vincent O’Brien with Prince Of Birds (Declan Gillespie). If you’ve backed Awtaad, Blue De Vega or Sanus Per Aquam, you’re on a long shot.

Keatley takes Gordon’s route

They say that imitation is the best form of flattery and Adrian Keatley acknowledged in his post-race interviews after his treble at Ayr that he is hoping to follow the ‘get your name’ out there method used by Gordon Elliott in notching up a nice total of winners and gaining a reputation for placing his horses where they have a good chance of winning.

Heading to Scotland for easier targets with his runners has proved a notable success story with 12 winners from 27 runners in handicaps at the track.

Clocking up the most important numbers - winners. It’s a ploy that is producing dividends as he picked up another treble at Ayr on Tuesday with Nice Vintage, Anonyomus Lad and Millefiori.

Muirhead mutiny

In reply to the BBC interviewer’s question “It’s not fair, is it?” on Muirfield’s ban on women members, the club member replied:

“Life’s not fair to a certain extent, women are great in many ways but this has been an exclusively male club since ….it predates the Battle of Culloden and gets on fine. The fact of the matter is women are more than welcome and I can bring my young lady here to play two or three times a week.”

We’ll leave it there so.

THE LAST WORD

If you are heading to the shops to pick up your paper this morning have a listen to Coldplay’s latest single Up & Up - are you following Chris Martin and waiting for a chance to pick your Irish Field?

The lyrics are supposed to be “orange field” but we prefer our version!