Events / Graham Cunningham / 04 September 2009 /

Saturday's top class action at Leopardstown and Haydock threatens to be overshadowed by Fallon's return. Graham Cunningham has views on all of the above and more in his weekly blog...

Two names dominate the racing scene on either side of the Irish Sea this weekend, but will they both turn up for duty? The rejuvenated Kieren Fallon would probably walk barefoot to Haydock to as he bids to get back on the Group 1 trail aboard High Standing in the Sprint Cup, but the mighty Sea The Stars could miss the Irish Champion Stakes unless the weather improves. Racing UK analyst Graham Cunningham offers his views on both races and the rest of the Saturday action.

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Fame to get the Glory with or without his main adversary

Best to keep things brief in an Irish Champion Stakes where all things are possible.

It's possible Sea The Stars won't run if the ground is soft.

And it's possible a holding surface will blunt his speed even if he does.

But what about a possibility that very few people have considered - namely that Sea The Stars might run and run very close to his best yet still find one too good?

I could be wrong, but under these conditions Fame And Glory looks a serious danger to Sea The Stars.

Granted, he failed to match the acceleration of John Oxx's colt in a steadily-run Derby at Epsom, but he left that form behind when running away with the Irish version run at a much stronger pace and the presence of three pacemakers here will place the emphasis firmly on maintaining a punishing gallop over a long period.

It's possible that will suit Sea The Stars just as well, and for all that his trainer is desperate for dry weather it's well worth remembering that his dam Urban Sea won the Arc in a bog and his half-brother Galileo handled the mud admirably.

However, Sea The Stars faces a new question if he does head to at Leopardstown this weekend. More importantly, he also faces a formidable rival who will be primed to hit another career best after his summer break.

It could be a humdinger. But if he keeps heading towards the [3.0] mark then I think the value will lie with Fame And Glory.

* * *

Rainbow to provide the Matron pot of gold

She won her first three Pattern races only to lose her next five.

But Rainbow View can make it sixth time lucky at Group 1 level this season when she bids to land Leopardstown's Matron Stakes at 2.40.

John Gosden's filly cost her followers dear when beaten at odds on in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket back in May and has come up short against the best over a variety of distances since.

However, Rainbow View has acquitted herself very well in defeat on numerous occasions and her latest second to Midday on soft ground in Goodwood's Nassau Stakes was her best effort of the season based on the figures.

There is no Midday in opposition this time and the Irish 1000 Guineas winner Again could be found wanting for pace over a turning mile.

Heaven Sent has place claims judged on her best form, but she was well behind Rainbow View in similar conditions at Goodwood and this looks the right stage for the Gosden filly to gain rich reward for her consistency.

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Fleeting to show the Sprint Cup spirit if the Haydock drainage works

The office I work from is about ten miles north of Haydock and its windows have been rattled by intense showers on any number of occasions this week.

In theory, the ground for the Betfred Sprint Cup at 3.30 has to be soft, but the new sprint track at the Lancashire venue is plainly free draining given the current going description of good and that could play firmly to the strengths of Fleeting Spirit.

Jeremy Noseda's filly has endured a light campaign due to a couple of training setbacks, but the speed she showed to bustle up Scenic Blast at Royal Ascot before beating Main Aim in the July Cup proved that she is one of relatively few proven Group 1 sprinters in this field.

The ultra-progressive High Standing might be a Group 1 horse in the making based on his impressive progress for William Haggas - and the presence of Fallon on his back adds an extra dimension of interest - but this is much his stiffest test thus far.

Main Aim needs to bounce back from a subdued Goodwood effort, while Finjaan was right back on song at the same fixture and looks likely to be just as effective over this slightly shorter trip.

However, Fleeting Spirit's summer form is the best on show here. She has more than enough speed to take a handy position from stall 12 and, provided the drains have done their job, she could make her current Betfair price of [6.8] look very fair indeed.

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Hayward hits the right note as Fallon hype reaches fever pitch

Regular readers will know all about my feelings regarding the hoopla over the Fallon comeback.

Overkill doesn't begin to cover it, but ATR reached new heights of hype as I typed this blog on Friday afternoon.

First we had the fawning Matt Chapman quoting Martin Luther King to justify his joy over Fallon's return.

And then we had John McCririck up to his infuriating old trick of trying to speak for the entire media by addressing the rider from his camera pitch and saying "we have welcomed you back into our family."

Things took an even more bizarre turn when Mac said that "Fallon's mental powers are unparalleled," but it took a reporter who spends the vast majority of his time operating outside the deeply insecure world of racing nowadays to get to the true heart of the matter.

Step forward The Observer's Paul Hayward, who summed the situation up as follows: "There is a good case for saying Kieren Fallon has damaged the reputation of racing and I'm surprised that people are so unreserved in their joy that he's returning.

"He's lucky to be in that position, but racing doesn't have the same hold on the popular imagination that it used to and it may reflect the sport's desperation for a celebrity it can project."

Finally, a word on Friday's Racing Post front page, which portrayed a sharp suited Fallon hiding his eyes behind dark glasses while visiting BHA headquarters to get his licence restored in midweek.

The headline accompanying the picture was "Let's Go To Work."

A neat enough summing up, but even a cynic like me would have thought twice before going with the strapline which Tarantino chose for his gangster gorefest Reservoir Dogs!

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