Back to work Monday morning and getting to this Monday afternoon. That’s how it goes sometimes. I always say I’m going to write here first, then tackle the rest of the day later. It doesn’t always work that smoothly. Rarely, actually.
Today got busy in a hurry. Made breakfast and packed lunch for Miles and slid under the tag at the bus stop at 7:22. Phone calls and horse plans. Emails and texts. Conversations and commiserations.
Racing from Punchestown, Carlisle, Southwell this morning. Oaklawn and Parx this afternoon.
The Dublin Racing Festival coming to a close yesterday, two days of stellar racing under Willie Mullins’ grip. Lossiemouth against State Man in the Irish Champion Hurdle yesterday. Halfway down the back, the stars sparred. Lossiemouth in front, doling out fractions like beers in a bar. State Man stalking, an agent on a street corner. No stablemate hedging here, peddles down from the start, a 2-mile standoff. Danny Mullins asked, Lossiemouth guessed. Poof. Luckily, State Man stepped over, through and around her. She got up. He went on. So far in front of the others, Mullins got up and staggered out of the way of the following three, holding his right arm, a waving pennant. He looked hurt. He rode the next race. Jump racing. Bloody hell.
Declarations are out for Imarajan’s race at Fairyhouse Wednesday. He’s number five of 13 in the juvenile maiden hurdle. Yeah, you guessed it, Willie Mullins has the favorite, Legionnaire Forez, second in a bumper in France in his only start.
We are playing the long game so no pressure on his hurdle debut.
