A Friday night Classic at the Curragh as Siskin bids to become a superstar

A very warm welcome to the new normal. A Friday night Classic of all things. The brand spanking new and chic Curragh might as well be the old eyesore as nobody is going to see it anyway. No on-course punters, or layers, or patrons. No Ryan Moore, or Frankie either. Ted Walsh using Zoom on RTE apparently. And, perhaps the oddest thing of all, an Irish 2,000 Guineas favourite not trained by Aidan O’Brien. No, really, you must believe me.

Yes, the new normal is very odd indeed, but you should probably start getting used to Ger Lyons training Classic contenders. It has been coming. The straightest shooter in Irish racing has sourced some smashing juveniles over the years, but after doing so much talking at two, the cat caught their tongues at three. Siskin seems different, though. He has always done things differently.

There was the day he made his debut at Naas when he looked like an old pro, a seasoned handicapper doing something for the umpteenth time. There was another day after his Marble Hill victory when Lyons said you could step him up in trip or drop down, that you could "basically do what you like with him".

Ger Lyons: delighted after Siskin's 2019 Phoenix Stakes successCredit: Patrick McCann

There was Irish Derby day when he derailed Monarch Of Egypt in the Railway Stakes and the day he repeated that feat in the Phoenix. His first Group 1. It was a first for Lyons and Colin Keane on home soil too. A special occasion.

Laid-back, straightforward, professional. Those were the words used to describe Siskin over and over again. He was supposed to be the one keeping his head when all around him were losing theirs. That is why his final foray as a two-year-old was so extraordinary. It could not have been more out of character.

We were seconds away from the cat getting out of the bag about Siskin in the Middle Park, but he went berserk in the stalls and was withdrawn leaving us none the wiser about the ceiling of his ability. We hope it was a one-off, a rare moment of madness. We all have our off days.

Siskin cannot afford to have another one, be it in the stalls or when he comes out of them. There are Ballydoyle bugs everywhere he looks wanting to sting him. Not just one or two either, but six. Almost 55 per cent of the Irish 2,000 Guineas field is trained by O’Brien but trying to figure out who is the best of them is like trying to cut your own hair. It ain’t easy.

Armory: last year's Futurity Stakes winner to be partnered by Wayne LordanCredit: Patrick McCann

Surely Seamie Heffernan is on the number one, but Lope Y Fernandez is rated 4lb inferior to Royal Lytham. Royal Lytham is ridden by Emmet McNamara, so he looks well down the pecking order. Armory is the shortest of them all in the betting, but he was beaten 20 lengths in his most recent race. And, that was a two-runner contest.

Some say Vatican City hasn’t a prayer because he's only won a Dundalk maiden, but it is the gospel according to Aidan we are dealing with here, so anything is possible. Monarch Of Egypt and Fort Myers complete the Ballydoyle battalion, but both have already seen Siskin’s rear end and there is nothing to suggest they will finish in front of him this time.

The latest running of the Irish 2,000 Guineas is Siskin’s to lose, no matter what way you look at it. If he stays, he wins. Or is that being too presumptuous?

We presume O’Brien will train the Gallinule (6.10) winner on the supporting card. That is usually a given. He has done so 16 times and it is where Mythical is supposed to come to life this year. The spies around Ballydoyle say he has caught the eye as much as anything else during the lockdown. The 25-1 for the Derby is big. Huge, in fact. Don’t you dare tell anyone who told you.

Fleeting (right): denied by Star Catcher in the Irish Oaks last yearCredit: Patrick McCann

Fleeting is back to annoy us all again. Quite how she managed not to win a Group 1 last year is one of life’s great mysteries and she is back to try and right that wrong in 2020. She is favourite for the Mooresbridge Stakes (7.45) but, if you do take those skimpy odds, prepare to be irritated. It comes with the territory.

The delayed Irish Lincoln (7.15) has been won by Lyons for two of the last three years, but his sole representative this year is only a reserve. If Kafu gets a late call-up it could make the 18-runner puzzle a bit easier to solve.

Another Lincoln would be lovely for Lyons, but it is a first Classic he truly craves. Over to you, Siskin. We will all be watching on RTE2, ITV4 and RTV and so many will be rooting for you. Don’t you think the new normal would be so much more interesting if he turned out to be a superstar? Here’s hoping.

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