O'Neill hoping for rain
Eoghan O’Neill is praying for good ground at Newbury on Saturday for his Weatherbys Super Sprint runner Always Hopeful.
The Newark trainer warned today that his Mind Games colt might not run in the valuable two-year-old sprint if the ground was very firm.
“He’s an intended runner, but on good ground. I don’t want it rock hard,” O’Neill said.
The ground at Newbury is currently good to firm with officials watering as necessary.
Always Hopeful is one of the top weights on 9st, but that does not worry his trainer.
“He has to carry 9st, but we knew that from day one and that he was going to give weight away. But he’s a big horse and he shouldn’t have any problem with it,” O’Neill said.
Always Hopeful has shown plenty of dash in both his starts so far, finishing second to subsequent Norfolk Stakes third Classic Encounter on his debut at Newmarket in May, before turning over the odds-on Mr Sandicliffe at Nottingham a month ago.
However, he was unruly before the start of that race and has had to pass a stalls test.
“He had a stalls test at Wolverhampton last night which he passed with flying colours. I think Nottingham was a flash in the pan,” added O’Neill.
