Denton Hall News

Tough call for Mulrennan as fillies go head to head at Ayr

TRAINER Michael Dods has spoken about the dilemma facing jockey Paul Mulrennan as two of the stable's stars prepare go head to head at Ayr on Monday.

Michael admits it has been difficult having Que Amoro and Queens Gift, main picture, in the same race - the EBF Land O’Burns Fillies’ Stakes - but the restricted programme left him with little choice.

"It’s made life very difficult for Paul because I’m sure he would want to be on both horses, but he'll be on Que Amoro and Callum Rodriguez will ride Queens Gift.

"Callum has ridden Queens Gift before, and they’ve had some good days together, most notably when finishing second to Equilateral at Doncaster last season. Paul knows Que Amoro, so he will stick with her. It’s probably a one-off in terms of the pair running against each other.

"It’s first time out for Que Amoro, below, and that can sometimes be difficult, whereas Queens Gift has had a run in the Palace House. Fingers crossed they both run well."

]Meanwhile, the stable has a relatively quiet weekend ahead, with just three runners, starting with MADRESELVA making her debut in the British Stallion Studs EBF Winksley Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (4.30) at Ripon. 

"She’s a two-year-old filly, and this is her first run. She seems a nice horse, and hopefully she’ll come on for her first run," said Michael.

Also running at Ripon on Saturday is JOHN KIRKUP in the Summerbridge Handicap (6.10). "He loves heavy ground, and he’s a different horse when he gets his conditions. When he gets the ground just as he wants it, hopefully he’ll come into his own. When he gets his ground, I’m sure he’ll run his race," said Michael.

The yard has one runner on Sunday – COLD LIGHT OF DAY in the Follow @RacingTV on Twitter Handicap (4.15) at Redcar. "She’s owned by Kirsten Rausing and seems a nice filly. She’s got a middle-distance pedigree and this is her fourth run. She will like the soft ground, but the mile-and-a-quarter trip will probably be sharp enough for her. Over time, I can definitely see her stepping up to a mile-and-a-half or a mile-and-six, but we have to start her off somewhere so hopefully she’ll run nicely," said the trainer.