From Racing post...
Hurricane changes course
by Rodney Masters
ANDRE FABRE blindsided the racing world on Friday when revealing that Hurricane Run may change course and take on Ouija Board in the Irish Champion Stakes a week on Saturday, provided there is some cut in the ground at Leopardstown.
The 2005 world champion racehorse was expected to have a traditional local prep for his attempt to record back-to-back wins in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with an appearance in the Prix Foy.
However, that target would force a clash with stable companion and Coronation Cup winner Shirocco, and the Baileys-sponsored prize now features as a possible target.
“The Irish Champion is an option for Hurricane Run,” Fabre said on Friday.
“The distance of ten furlongs is short of his best, and for that reason I’d be looking for some ease in the ground to make the race more of a test of stamina.
“We’ll monitor the state of the ground and the likely strength of the opposition before making a decision.”
Asked if he was concerned by the likelihood of a tougher race than perhaps ideal for Hurricane Run ahead of the Arc, should the colt square up to Ouija Board and Alexander Goldrun in Ireland, Fabre said: “That may be the case, it’s true, but the Irish Champion is a very valuable and prestigious race in its own right, whereas the Foy is a prep for the Arc. “However, it wouldn’t concern me if he and Shirocco ran in the Foy. After all, they both ran in the Arc last season, and they’ll both be running in the race this year.”
The Michael Tabor-owned Hurricane Run is unbeaten in two visits to Ireland.
He won the 2005 Budweiser Irish Derby, and, in May this year, made a successful return to the Curragh in the Tattersalls Gold Cup. The latter was run on soft ground over 1m21/2f.
Tabor is part-owner of this year’s Irish Derby winner Dylan Thomas, who wasexpected to run in the Irish Champion until yesterday’s announcement from Fabre muddied the waters. It is not anticipated that both horses would run at Leopardstown.
Aidan O’Brien, who trains Dylan Thomas, said on Friday: “As of now we are working towards running Dylan Thomas in the Irish Champion Stakes, but he has a couple more bits of work to do and a final decision will be made by the middle of next week.
"He has come on very well since York and we're very happy with him. Obviously he wouldn't want the ground at Leopardstown to go soft."
Betting on the Irish Champion is bound to be shaken up by Fabre’s comments.
Stan James on Friday trimmed their ante-post favourite, Ouija Board, to 2-1 (from 9-4) ahead of Dylan Thomas, cut to 3-1 (from7-2).
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