Owner Simon Munir reflects on a recent visit to Ireland while looking forward to the season ahead for his Double Green horses.
Fresh from our annual pre-season visit to Ireland, I have returned with plenty of enthusiasm and some exciting prospects to look forward to in the season ahead. It is always a pleasure to get behind the scenes, see the horses in their surroundings and, most importantly, watch them on the gallops. There is nothing quite like seeing a horse develop over the summer and beginning to get a feel for what the coming months might hold.
We have a particularly interesting group of juveniles at our Double Green Academy, trained by Stuart Crawford and his brothers. One who immediately caught my attention was CHAMPIONI, an unraced filly by Choeur Du Nord. She is a lovely prospect who impressed me on the gallops, and she is certainly one I will be keeping a close eye on.
Another juvenile I am looking forward to seeing in action is TSUNAWATARI, whose name may be a little difficult to pronounce, but whose ability is much easier to appreciate! Now trained by Joseph O’Brien, she finished third in the Prix Wild Monarch at Auteuil. I am particularly keen to see her make her Irish debut and discover how much she has progressed over the summer following that first appearance in France in April.
We were also keen to see CHARLY DES BEAUX, who has recently joined Willie Mullins. He first caught our eye when finishing second in the Prix Rocking Chair when trained by Guillaume Macaire. We have given him an extended summer break, so he will need a little more time before making his Irish debut, but he is certainly one to look forward to.
Among the older horses, MALTE DE SOLZEN, now with Joseph O’Brien, is an exciting four-year-old. He finished a nose second in the Prix Alfred Torrance last Christmas, a race that has an interesting connection for us. It was won by Soldatino before he went on to land the Triumph Hurdle in 2010. We have deliberately given Malte time to develop, and I have been very encouraged by the progress he has made and the way he is training. His debut will be particularly interesting and should give us a clearer idea of how best to shape his campaign for the season ahead.
GREEN HINT also looked in good order on the gallops and has come out of his Listowel run well. He has already shown plenty of promise, having won his point-to-point before finishing second in the Goffs Defender Bumper. He is an interesting prospect, and it will be fascinating to see where Willie decides to go with him next.
At Joseph O’Brien’s, TALK THE TALK is working particularly well and looked magnificent on the gallops. At this stage, we are considering the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown for his seasonal debut. That race should provide a useful starting point, after which we can decide whether to continue over hurdles or explore a move to fences.
LOOK ME is also progressing nicely and is likely to head for a maiden hurdle in November. Meanwhile, YOU PROOF worked especially well during our visit, and I am hopeful we will see him make his debut in a Beginners Chase before too long.
