Chicago Fireball

Chicago Fireball only finished seventh in the Irish Cambridgeshire at The Curragh on Saturday, but he ran much better than the bare form of the run suggests. The finish of the race was dominated by horses who were held up early on and came stands side in the home straight. One of just two three-year-olds in a race that has been won just once by a member of the Classic generation in the last 10 years, Chicago Fireball wasn’t that quickly away, but he showed nice early pace to get up into a prominent position, just behind the leaders. He travelled well for Jamie Powell to the four-furlong marker, and he picked up nicely when his rider asked him to. He joined the front rank on the far side and probably put his head in front at the furlong marker. After that though, it was all about the horses who came wide and late. Chicago Fireball had no more left to give, losing six placed inside the final 200 yards.

It was still a big run by Johnny Murtagh’s horse. The first six home all came from further back than he was early on, the majority of them raced from high draws and they all finished off the race closer to the stands rail than Chicago Fireball was. Beaten in all six runs last season as a juvenile, the Acclamation gelding has made nice progress this season as a three-year-old. He won his maiden at Gowran Park in June, on his first run since being gelded, and he followed up by battling on well to win a one-mile handicap at Leopardstown off a mark of 87. He proved here that he was well able for his mark of 91, and another 1lb drop to a mark of 90 was a bonus. There is plenty of stamina in his pedigree, his dam is a half-sister to Shamdinan, winner of the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes over 10 furlongs and second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and to Shahwardi, winner of a Group 2 race over a mile and a half in Australia. There should be more to come from him, and he would be interesting stepped up in trip and maybe ridden a little more patiently.

The Curragh, 31^st August 2024