Nurburgring

Noted here after he stayed on strongly to finish fourth in the Petingo Handicap over a mile and five furlongs at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend, Nurburgring is worth mentioning again after he took fourth place again in the Irish Cesarewitch at The Curragh last Sunday. Like the Petingo Handicap, the Irish Cesarewitch was a race in which the prominent racers dominated, the three horses who finished in front of him all raced prominently, and Joseph O’Brien’s horse did well to get as close as he did, coming from the rear and through traffic. He didn’t have a lot of racing room towards the inside early in the home straight, he had to check his run but, once in the clear, he stayed on well to get to within two lengths of the classy and progressive winner The Euphrates, with a nice break back to the fifth horse.

The handicapper raised him by 4lb to a mark of 94 for this run, but that mark could still under-rate his ability on the flat. He holds an entry in the November Handicap at Naas in a couple of weeks’ time, and he will be of interest if he takes his chance in that. Looking further ahead, he will be of interest if and when he goes back over hurdles, and he could morph into a high-class stayer on the flat next season.

The Curragh, 29^th September 2024