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Friday 9th January 2009 Make us your HOME PAGE  What is RSS?
 

RACING

O'BRIEN FIRES MURTAGH UP

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Johnny Murtagh rides Frozen Fire

Friday September 12,2008

By Rolf Johnson

The only time Johnny Murtagh has partnered Ladbrokes St Leger favourite Frozen Fire was when they were runner-up to Tartan Bearer in the Dante in the spring.

Tomorrow he and Frozen Fire are reunited for the final Classic – it’s that important to Ballydoyle. Aidan O’Brien fields five of the 14 Doncaster declarations, bidding for a fourth Leger.

His other runners are Alessandro Volta, the mount of Jamie Spencer successful on Ballydoyle’s Brian Boru in 2003, Bashkirov, Hindu Kush and Washington Irving.

Murtagh has yet to win the Leger: Sir Michael Stoute, who has been trying a good deal longer – 25 years – is triple-handed with Conduit, Doctor Fremantle and Warringah. Vodafone Derby fourth Doctor Fremantle, heavily-backed this week, is Ryan Moore’s pick.

Frankie Dettori, winner in of successive Legers on Scorpion and Sixties Icon, rides Conduit. Oaks winner Look Here and unbeaten Irish filly Unsung Heroine attempt to become first of their sex to win the Leger since User Friendly 16 years ago.

This weekend is a tale of two Legers.

O’Brien aims to become the first trainer for over seventy years to complete a grand slam of victories in the Irish Classics in the Irish version which is open to all ages.

Seamus Heffernan will partner five-year-old Septimus - hardly a minus with Heffernan having won two of this year’s Irish Classics on Halfway To Heaven and Frozen Fire for his Ballydoyle bosses.

Last year’s winner Yeats is left in as insurance if Septimus, 2007 Doncaster Cup winner, is a non-runner.
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* THE British runners were first and second in the Prix d’Arenberg at Chantilly yesterday. 

For Liam Jones, rider of  Triple Aspect trained by William Haggas, it was a first win on French soil. 

His mount was 1.7-1; Thunderous Mood was 14-1 and the forecast paid 11.4-1.


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