We saw Colin Keane at his brilliant best today on Helvic Dream, that now familiar 'changing of the hands' style that time after time ekes that little bit more out of his mounts.
But today wasn't any old race, it was a Group 1 and Ballydoyle came off second best.
Last season's Irish jockeys' championship saw a pretty even fight between Keane and Shane Foley, with Foley at one point building up a nice lead as Keane was forced to quarantine, before Keane slowly but surely started to reel Foley back in.
As this closely fought battle started to reach its climax in the dying weeks and days of the season, something seemingly unexpected happened, Aidan O'Brien stepped in and started putting up Keane on horses with good chances.
As it turned out, Keane would have been crowned champion without O'Brien's help, but what was the reason for O'Brien's decision to 'interfere' in the title battle, after all, it's not as if they're short of jockeys at Ballydoyle?
Some of us (mistakenly as it turned out) presumed Keane was being lined up for the Ballydoyle job and that it might even already have been a done deal.
However, in an interview last season, Keane revealed it had come as a surprise to him when his agent informed him that he would be getting the leg up on some of O'Brien's horses.
Was it an attempt to lure Keane away from a stable that he has strong ties to, or to the lay foundations for Keane becoming Ballydoyle's number one jockey in a season or two, or was there another reason?
Could it simply have been because the wives of Magnier and Shanahan had a horse with Ger Lyons, Even So, which Keane rode to win the 2020 Naas Oaks Trial and followed up with the Irish Oaks for them? Maybe the wives simply asked their husbands to help Keane out with rides?
Could it simply have been because the wives of Magnier and Shanahan had a horse with Ger Lyons, Even So, which Keane rode to win the 2020 Naas Oaks Trial and followed up with the Irish Oaks for them? Maybe the wives simply asked their husbands to hel
Thank you, cloone river, good to know we have a man in the know on the forum.
If you get any tips of him, feel free to PM me, in the strictest confidence.
Thank you, cloone river, good to know we have a man in the know on the forum.If you get any tips of him, feel free to PM me, in the strictest confidence.