Kieran O'Neill Tuesday rides blog: 'In right conditions, he can bang here'

Kieran O'Neill returns to Coral with another exclusive blog where the leading trainer previews his rides on Tuesday at Newmarket.

As we all know, it’s been a very dry spring, so we’ve not been able to do much work on the grass gallops at all, as no trainer wants to jar a horse up on quick ground. The all-weather facilities are good though, so horses are fit enough, but we’re also in the position that there is now quite a bit of rain forecast for the next few days, so we could go from one extreme to another. That said, we’re all in the same boat, and we have to work with what we get. 

My first ride of the Craven meeting would appreciate the rain arriving in time. I won on Probe over course and distance at the Guineas meeting a couple of years ago, that was on good to soft, so I won’t mind any ease in the ground for him. He’s rated a couple of pounds lower than his most recent winning mark, and he goes well here, so I hope in the right conditions, he can be bang there.

My other two rides are on unraced maiden fillies for Alice [Haynes]. The 2-y-o Naana’s Shadow is a nice filly who shouldn’t mind the ground whether it’s quick or the rain does come. As a young horse she will learn plenty here and come on for the run, but on her homework I like her as she’s tough and she tries.

The 3-y-o Treasured Angel is a daughter of Sergei Prokofiev who didn’t cost a lot of money as a yearling. We’ve had to be patient with her as she’s needed time, but she’s ready to start now, but as with Naana’s Shadow, she’ll improve for this first race, and whatever she does here, she’ll be one for the rest of the season. 

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