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Jim Bolger defends his approach with the Vodafone Derby winner

DERBY DAY 2008
RACENEWS RACECOURSE SERVICE
EPSOM DOWNS, SATURDAY, JUNE 7

Race 5: The Vodafone Derby
Winners Press Conference

JIM BOLGER EXPLAINS

“Well, after the press conference for the [Irish] 2,000 Guineas when I stated that Epsom was not on his agenda you know what happened with regard to his races from there. I felt all along that if we were to try to win two Guineas with him that it wouldn’t be possible to take in the Epsom Derby. So, not to build up anybody’s hope at that stage, I was happy to say that we would not be coming to Epsom because I felt that having two Guineas runs and only two weeks between the Irish 2000 Guineas and the Derby that it just wouldn’t be possible.

“Anyway, moving in a little bit from there, when the cancellation stage [May 23] came up, I had four or five horses on the list to take out and to this day I don’t know why I didn’t take out New Approach. It was a genuine mistake. It was an embarrasment to me at the time. I just didn’t think that there was any chance that he would be running here. He was still in the list and...

“Move on three days after the Irish 2,000 Guineas, he hadn’t lost any weight, not even half a kilo. He was exactly the same weight two days after the Curragh as he was before the race. He was bucking and squealing by Wednesday and, at that stage, I thought about it for a few days because, in fairness to everyone involved, the owners of the horse and John Ferguson here on my left, I had to be sure of my ground before I made contact with John on the Sunday to see if they were in agreement with running the horse

“I said to Jackie [Bolger’s wife] after I spoke to John Ferguson, I don’t think this will be happening. I was thrilled to get the call back from John to tell me that if I was happy with the horse, the horse should run.”

Race 5: The Vodafone Derby
Winners Press Conference

FURTHER JIM BOLGER QUOTES

After the initial explanation by Jim Bolger over the reasons for the uncertainty surrounding New Approach’s participation, journalists challenged the trainer’s position, suggesting that he had not looked after the interests of punters.

Bolger defended himself by adding that: “If you accept that the horse was left in through a genuine mistake it doesn’t look half as bad as you infer.”

Relationships between the trainer and journalists became heated as Bolger decided that the best form of defence against his actions was to attack and he repeatedly tried to pin down one journalist by saying “which statement do you have a problem with?”

Bolger insisted again that his early plans had not included the Epsom Derby: “Epsom was not on his agenda. Can I be more specific than that?”

The trainer, who also suggested that some of his comments had been misrepresented in the press, added that: “The general public haven’t been treated as less than grown-ups by me.”

John Ferguson, bloodstock advisor to Sheik Mohammed, strongly supported Bolger’s version of events, adding that: “I know it doesn’t sound like it, but this is quite a happy day for us.”

An ill-tempered conference ended with the trainer saying:

“Isn’t it all’s well that ends well?”

Race 5: The Vodafone Derby
Winners Press Conference

KEVIN MANNING RACE QUOTES

“[Early on] I got caught in between a couple of horses and they were just making him race a little bit keener that I wanted him too. So I had to get him into a place a little bit further out than I wanted to be.

“I wanted to get away from horses racing both sides and taking him on. But, when I got to the seven-furlong pole, I had him where I wanted him, though I was a little bit further out of my depth than I wanted to be. But riding the sort of horse that he is with so much pace...

“Just down the hill from when we left the sprint track on our right-hand side about four and a half out there were a lot of horses down on the fence a good bit ahead of me and I could see that were going fall back on my lap.

“Frankie’s horse [Rio De La Plata] was travelling well at the time and Richard Hills’ [Tajaaweed] was making ground with him and they took me through a lot of gaps and pockets.

“When I came down on the straight he made an awful lot of ground very quickly. I just let him angle across. I knew I had an awful lot of horse underneath me.”

Race 5 - Vodafone Derby (Group One)

MORE JIM BOLGER

Speaking to Racing UK at the end of the day, Jim Bolger said: “I was hopeful that New Approach would get a mile and a half but until a horse stays the distance you can never be certain. We knew he would stay further than a mile but a mile and a half is unproven territory until he gets it. Yesterday, I though that Lush Lashes would get the mile and a half but it didn’t happen.

“The credit has to go to Kevin Manning. I thought he had a very difficult time with him and it was a very brave decision to get behind a wall of horses coming around Tattenham corner. It was difficult, even with the ability that New Approach has, and it wasn’t going to be easy and keep things under control. But Kevin managed it extremely well and, for me, it was the best ride that I have ever seen around Epsom.

“We didn’t really keep him on the boil this season. He is a horse who doesn’t take a lot of fast work at home and he didn’t even do half-speed between the Irish 2,000 Guineas and here today, he was just cantering. I thought that was the best way to manage him and keep him settled and hope that he would be fit enough on the day and it’s turned out well.

“His mind does take a little bit of managing. I would be totally happy that any problems that he has are probably environmental. He was reared with a bell round his neck so that his mother, who was blind, wouldn’t step on him and he was never in a hard situation. It was a whole new ball game when we started to race him and I think, under the circumstances, he’s coping very well.

“After he ran the second time at the Curragh, he was a little bit strong and there was a danger that Kevin might not be able to pull him up on his next start and it was at that stage that we introduced him to the pony and, at this stage, we don’t intend to change it.

“You need a horse with a good turn of foot to win or nearly win the Guineas and if they have the stamina and things work out well in between, then you can come and win here. Vincent O’Brien did it majestically a few times, Nijinsky is one and El Gran Senor is another, and he probably had another couple who won Guineas and came here.

“People like Vincent laid the template for trainers nowadays. We are not in unchartered territory and if we bothered to look back at some of the great trainers of the past it shows us the way.

“New Approach is very different to any horse I have had before but we are very fortunate that he is a hardy horse who takes his racing well and has a good constitution. He can be a little bit of a bully sometimes as far as humans are concerned but we just have to put up with that and work around it.

“He’s had two hard races this season. He didn’t have a hard race at the Curragh where Kevin wasn’t too hard on him and he didn’t lose any weight and three days after the race he was bucking and squealing. It was at that stage that I began to think about coming here. Hopefully he’ll go for the Irish Derby now.

“I will be talking to John Ferguson and Sheikh Mohammed about it but maybe York could be a possibility and then the Irish Champion Stakes. The King George is another possibility but there are plenty of races and then he could finish off in the Arc. At that stage he will be handed over to Godolphin, so we’re honoured to have him for his three-year-old campaign.

“He doesn’t like firm ground and it was really firm at the Curragh, unnecessarily so. He wont race on firm ground, but only on good ground or worse, then we will be happy to go for those races.”

MANNING BANNED

Jockey Kevin Manning picked up a three-day ban for careless riding after winning the Vodafone Derby on New Approach after being found to have caused interference to Rio De La Plata a furlong and a half from home. The suspension runs from Sunday, June 22, to Tuesday, June 24.

IRISH DERBY NEXT FOR APPROACH

Trainer Jim Bolger stated the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Sunday, June 29, is likely to be New Approach’s next race.

“He will run next in the Dubai Duty Free Derby at the Curragh,” said Bolger.

O’SHEA AND AHERN BANNED

Eddie Ahern and Tadgh O’Shea each received a one-day ban for whip offences in the penultimate race. The suspension will take place on Sunday, June 22.