Mirann will be attempting to become OTI’s first winner at the Royal Ascot meeting when he tackles the 2411m, Duke of Edinburgh Stakes on Friday (or 2.35 am Saturday morning AEST). He follows in the footsteps of OTI predecessors, including Gailo Chop, Fastnet Tempest, Downdraft, Manighar and Chelkar, who, although being competitive, weren’t first past the post.
Purchased at the Arqana sale in Deauville in November 2019, Mirann was sent to Ireland and into the care of jockey-cum-trainer Johnny Murtagh, who was already making waves during the infancy of his training career. A first-up win for the stable gave the new relationship a flying start and dreams of big things ahead.
Unfortunately, our owners cannot be there this year, however, Royal Ascot, originally started by Queen Anne in 1711, is continuing to live up to its official motto “like nowhere else”. The racing carnival continues to be a significant event on the global racing calendar.
On Friday, in a field of 22, Mirann has drawn barrier 10. This should put him in a nice position to find cover through the early and middle stages before being exposed in the straight to finish strongly. Ben Coen, who has ridden the horse on 5 of his 8 starts for OTI, is booked to ride,
Mirann remains a lightly raced, progressive stayer and his trainer Johnny Murtagh has expectations of a forward performance. As reported by Terry Henderson earlier this week, “Johnny is confident that the horse will run well. The only concern is the track; if we can get some rain in the lead-up, it may enable the horse to get the sting out of the ground that he will want”.
The opportunity to provide our co-owners with a runner is most exciting. The euphoria of a victory would create lifetime memories and lay the foundation for a trip to Melbourne later in the year.
We wish our connections the best of luck!
