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| Staff Writer |
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Deira Mile might be aimed towards the Irish Derby following his fourth-place finish in the Epsom Classic.
The Owen Burrows-trained colt, sired by Camelot, finished fourth in the Futurity Trophy last season and kicked off this year with an impressive four-length victory in a Windsor novice.
In his Epsom outing, he tackled a mile and a half for the first time. Despite being drawn in stall 14 of 16 and starting from a wide position, jockey Jim Crowley guided him to a fourth-place finish behind City Of Troy.
Even though the race conditions didn't entirely favour the 3YO owned by Ahmad Al Shaikh, Burrows expressed satisfaction with the performance. Now, there are considerations to send him to the Curragh for the Irish Derby at the end of the month.
“I’m not saying we were unlucky in any way, but it wasn’t the plan to be that far back,” Burrows said.
“We had to sit in mid-div, he just stepped a bit slow and that was where Jim unfortunately found himself.
“It was a big run down the outside, we did have a nice clear run in doing that. But the winner had a nice trip down the inner, the second and third had a nice trip, I thought it was a big run.
“We’ll see how he is through this week but the Irish Derby could suit him, the nature of the track at the Curragh I think would suit him a lot better.
“We’ll play it by ear, he’s a Leger horse and that’s what Jim felt as well so that will be the ultimate aim.
“It’s about a month away, the Irish Derby, so he’ll have a bit of time. It’s not definite he’ll go, but we’ll have a look.”
Another top performer in Burrows’ stable is Anmaat, who clinched the Prix d’Ispahan around a year ago. Unfortunately, injury interrupted his season just before the Eclipse, keeping him off the track since. However, he has returned to training and is expected to make a comeback later in the summer.
Burrows stated, “He’s back with me for a while now. He won’t be ready for Ascot, probably until the end of July. We're keeping our fingers crossed. He’s busy, but we don’t have specific plans yet."
“He looks well, he’s moving well but like myself, he’s carrying that bit of extra condition that he could do with shifting! We’ll get busy over the next couple of month and all being well he should be ready by the end of July.”