One of the big advantages enjoyed by OTI in Ireland and France is access to background knowledge on horses being considered for purchase. Such is the case with the unraced 2yo colt, Karrygrant, who was impressive in winning his recent trial at Naas (IRE).
Given Karrygrant’s performance in the trial and our initial assessment, we agreed with renowned agent, Stu Boman (who identified Docklands for us), that he was well worth considering. Subsequently, Johnny Murtagh agreed. He had a horse in the 1400m trial and was impressed with the way Karrygrant came from back in the field to win. Equally important was the opinion of Ben Coen, Murtagh’s stable rider. Ben had ridden Karrygrant in trackwork earlier in May and was most impressed with the way he moved. Suffice to say we were delighted when able to secure the colt.
In his 1400m trial, Karrygrant sat at the rear of the field. He initially had trouble finding a run before finishing strongly. It was the trial of a horse that will ultimately suit Australia’s style of racing.
Johnny Murtagh has been thrilled with the colt’s early progress since joining his stable. At this stage, he will be aimed towards a race debut in August with the potential to build into an autumn 2yo campaign. Clearly it is too early to set specific targets, but his ideal distance looks to be between 1400m and 2000m. Longer term, as with Johnny Murtagh’s horses trained for OTI, the colt is planned to come to Australia.
Opportunities are available for experienced horse owners with a budget in excess of $10,000.