Ground key to Miss Amulet’s Curragh Classic challenge

Molly Hunter
May 17, 2021 1:57 pm

Irish 1,000 Guineas run depends on weather.

Miss Amulet’s Irish 1,000 Guineas bid hinges on going conditions after heavy ground scuppered her run in the French version of the race on Sunday.

The filly was an intended starter in ParisLongchamp’s Poule d’Essai des Pouliches – the French 1000 Guineas – but very soft going at the Paris track put paid to that plan.

The race was supposed to be the grey’s opening run of the season, with heavy rainfall in both England and Ireland leaving conditions closer to home similarly dubious for a horse that favours good ground.

Miss Amulet is entered in Sunday’s Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas, but her participation at the Curragh is reliant on the ground drying out and the current forecast does not fill trainer Ken Condon with hope.

“She might run at the Curragh on Sunday, we’ll just have to see how the weather plays out,” he said.

“She’s very well and she’s ready to run. We’re happy with our decision not to run her on what we would call heavy ground.

“It wouldn’t have been the right thing by her, we’ll just have to see how the rest of this week goes.

“We’re anxious to get her started, we’ll just see how the week develops as it’s a bit of a mixed bag weather-wise, we’ll just keep an eye on that.”

The Curragh conditions were described as yielding to soft when the track last raced on May 3, with the weather between then and the weekend meaning Miss Amulet’s preferred good ground is highly unlikely to materialise.

“We’re not going to get our ideal conditions. She likes nice ground, she’s a good ground horse and we won’t have that,” Condon said.

“We might be able to run her on the easy side of good, or good to yielding. We’ll just see, we won’t get her ideal conditions as it’s rather like you have in England, there’s plenty of rain about.”

Miss Amulet enjoyed a successful two-year-old season, gaining her first victory in Stakes company when winning the Group Two Lowther Stakes at York before going on to finish second in Newmarket’s Cheveley Park Stakes and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland – the latter both Group One contests.

If the damp spring weather means a tilt at a Classic evades the filly, Royal Ascot in June is next on the agenda with the six-furlong Commonwealth Cup and the one-mile Coronation Stakes both under consideration.

“She’s a filly that, with her two-year-old career, deserves a chance at a Classic,” said Condon.

“I think she’s unfortunate with the weather. Nine years out of 10 you can depend on it being good ground or faster, but it’s in the lap of the gods unfortunately.

“We’ll see about this weekend and if not, it will be Royal Ascot as she has a few entries there.

“It’s a long season, she’s in very good form and I’m sure she’ll make up for it when she gets a chance.”