Jessica Harrington goes into Friday’s Paddy Power Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh double-handed courtesy of Njord and Onlyhuman and roving reporter Paul Binfield spoke to the trainer’s daughter, Kate, ahead of Friday’s big race.
“Njord ran a great race over 7 furlongs in the Ahonoora Handicap at Galway on the Sunday, when things didn’t go quite right having also finished runner-up in the Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap earlier in the week,” Kate Harrington told PP News.
“He’s come out of both those races very well and he’ll relish a bit of dig in the ground.
“Although he’s up to a mark of 104 and races off 10 stone it’s a tough ask to go out and win a Paddy Power Irish Cambridgeshire off that weight, hopefully he’ll go close again. He’s certainly been very consistent for us.”
Harrington’s other runner Onlyhuman finished third – just behind his stablemate – in the BMW Mile at Ballybrit. He was well backed in this contest last year but faded to finish last of the 25 combatants. He will be partnered by Tom Madden this time.
“He disappointed last year, but was third in the BMW Mile at Galway and he’s come out of the run very well,” Kate said.
“To have a second, third and fourth [Tauran Shaman] in the BMW Mile was phenomenal and if we were to get a second and third in the Paddy Power Irish Cambridgeshire it would be absolutely brilliant.
“We just need one of them to go one better and I don’t mind which one of them it is!”
Kate Harrington was a very talented amateur rider who won two prestigious bumpers on Imperial Cascade in the Goffs Land Rover Bumper at the Punchestown Festival in 2009 and seven years’ later on Forge Meadow in the Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper at Fairyhouse’s Irish Grand National fixture.
Asked who she would partner given the choice, she replied: “If I was riding with my 3lb claim, I would go for Njord as he’s still going to be competitive off that mark and with 3lb off, he’d be there or thereabouts.”
The current going at the Curragh is soft, soft to heavy in places on the straight course, while the round course is soft.
Depending how the duo get on this Friday, there’s a chance they and Tauran Shaman might also be seen in the English equivalent Cambridgeshire at Newmarket on Saturday, September 26 and Paddy has Njord, Tauran Shaman and Onlyhuman all priced up for that event.
“We’ll see how the horses come out of this and let them tell us how they are. We’ll have a look at the ground and make plans later in the month,” Harrington said.
Paddy also sponsors the Paddy Power I’d Love A Pint But I’m Not Getting Married Nursery at 5.10pm on Friday’s exciting eight-race card at the Home of the Irish Classics.
And if you’re wondering why the 5.10pm at the Curragh is called the ‘I’d Love a Pint But I’m Not Getting Married’, we let our Instagram followers suggest names for the race, and then vote on the best one.
So that was suggested by Instagram follower Morgan Ryan, who was also given a €50 free bet for his troubles. The name was inspired by a tweet by comedian Darren Conway after the new COVID restrictions were announced.
Looking forward to hearing commentator Jerry Hannon saying that one.
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