Connaught May Improve Murless’s Great Record

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31981, 7 May 1969, Page 4

Connaught May Improve Murless’s Great Record

(Special to "The frew" from ; the former English jockeg, HARRY CARR) Connaught has won the Sandown Coronation Stakes, and a new band of admirers. He is still a bit cantankerous, still not the perfect racehorse, but he is a very exciting horse just the same. There now seems every reason to wonder whether he can follow in the footsteps of his stabelmates, Butted and Royal Palace, and win the Eclipse and King George VI Stakes. If he can, N. Murless Will have trained the winners of these high-summer races tor three successive years—an incredible feat. At the moment, Murless is going so well that nothing seems beyond his reach. But even he must have had his doubts, maybe stiU has, about this big commanding fellow called Connaught Connaught began last year as a green, overgrown, temperamental colt—a tranter's nightmare. Although he had his midsummer moments, notably that second-place run on Derby Day, he ended the season pretty much the'way he began it. i At one time it was not just whether he would win any nartieular race: the real question was whether they could get him to start it Murless and S. Barclay between them, with an admirable show of patience, seem to have overcome that problem ' Ohly to encounter another, for at Sandowh Con-

naught showed considerable reluctance to parade in front of the stands. He took one look at the crowds there and just did .not want to know. Commanding No doubt there will be one or two people on the same course when the Eclipse comes along, and so the schooling by his trainer is probably not entirely done. But that moment apart, he looked a very commanding horse indeed. He went into the stalls quietly and calmly, add came out under complete control. He strode almost casually through the field and then, when' asked for his effort, went away with great power, showing no . traces of hesitation when racing a)one. i His time for the mile and a quarter was only four seconds outside the track record set by his sire, St Paddy. His likely clash in the Eclipse with Ribot horses, such as Ribofilio and Ribero, becomes ah exciting prospect Best Distance This could well prove his finest hour. Murless tends to believe that a mile and a quarter is his best distance, and I would think that every yard run beyond that would be tilting the balance in Ribera’s favour. Of the two Connaught has the greater speed but judged : by last year’s performances, tires a little in the final ■ stages of a true-run mile and a half nee. i In the St Leger be tired ■ badly ’< quarter of'a mile 1 from home and was hanging ■ into the rails. RiWb, also

tiring, just had that extra bit of stamina and courage to take him past the post first More Mature Times may possibly have changed this equation. Connaught is now a very much more mature, better-looking horse, and therefore probably a stronger one. Barclay is beginning to forge a very polished partnership with him. Connaught must have been his biggest challenge and, judging by Sandown, he has met it well. The danger of under-rating Murless is being constantly emphasised. Last year, the critics predicted an anticlimax, after the salad days of ’67. And they were wrong. This year they predicted only a moderate run for the Murless stable. And they could well be wrong again. That being so, I think it wise to keep an eye on his four-year-olds. Attalus will: surely win a race or two. Rangong looks a useful sort of horse, and Timmy My Boy. is most definitely one to watch. He went pretty well In. France last year, and, although a comparative newcomer to Newmarket, has al-i ready done enough on the Heath to impress the neutrals. Meanwhile, Connaught is aiming for the Coronation Cup (won last year by Royal Palace), followed by a cljmce between the Prince of Wales Stakes and the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, Then comes the Eclipse. And, after that ... Who knows? ; As alliances go, the J. Noel, Murless, Barclay combination if a hard one to stand against: /