Ger Lyons planning big bid for ‘Champions Weekend’ prizes

Ger Lyons is rapidly closing in on the €1 million prizemoney mark in Ireland this year and the Co Meath-based trainer hasn't ruled out the possibility of his star two year old Psychedelic Funk trying for Group One glory over "Irish Champions Weekend".

The €350,000 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday week is on Lyons’ radar for Psychedelic Funk while on the same day another of his leading juveniles, Medicine Jack, could also hunt a lucrative prize in the €300,000 Tattersalls Super Auction Sales Race.

Medicine Jack already has a Group Two win this season in the Railway Stakes while Psychedelic Funk ran a fine third to Caravaggio in Royal Ascot’s Coventry Stakes in June.

He subsequently could finish only runner-up to Peace Envoy in the Anglesey Stakes on his return to action earlier this month while Medicine Jack was third to Caravaggio in the Phoenix Stakes. However Lyons says neither horse was at his best in their last starts and is hopeful of more to come.

With Sunday's Irish Cambridgeshire winner Sea Wolf among other 'Champions' possible, in the Sovereign Path Handicap at Leopardstown, the trainer aims to "launch what we can at the weekend" which is worth €4.5 million in total prizemoney.

Lyons is currently on €945,430 in prizemoney for the year in Ireland and his 43 winners puts him fourth in the championship table behind only Aidan O'Brien, Dermot Weld and Jim Bolger. Despite Sea Wolf's impressive victory at the weekend, he is also confident of an upswing in fortunes.

“Our horses were under a cloud after Galway. Those that we ran did okay but we had to back off a lot of them because with the changeable weather there was a lot of snot about.

“It was just a summer cold but while ‘The Funk’ and ‘Jack’ scoped clear before going racing they came home coughing. So I think there’s improvement in them . . ,” said Lyons.

Given his regard for Aidan O'Brien's Caravaggio, news that classic favourite isn't certain to make Newmarket's Middle Park Stakes is encouraging Lyons to think of both the Middle Park and the Dewhurst for his good two year olds. For now his focus It is the Curragh though as the trainer aims to exceed his 2015 Irish haul of over €1.5 million in prizemoney and 60 individual winners.

“Medicine Jack is in the sales race and that’s the way we’re thinking at the moment. Even though he’s a Group Two winner we’re not too snobby to go for a €300,000 race!” Lyons joked.

“Something like the Dewhurst might suit Psychedelic Funk later on, now that there are doubts about Caravaggio, but he is a possible for the National. The Coventry form puts him right up there and I’m adamant he wasn’t at his best in the Anglesey. I’m very happy with him now,” he added.

Nice boost

Lyons can edge closer to the million mark at

Gowran

today when he runs another two year old,

Mack Attack

, in a seven furlong maiden.

The colt was runner-up to Born To Be on his sole start to date at Cork and the form of that race got a nice boost from Impart at the weekend.

Aidan O'Brien's Perfect Storm looks the danger but the Ballydoyle trainer could have better fortune in a later maiden where Tree Of Knowledge lines up against some highly-rated rivals including Dermot Weld's Ample Sufficiency and Godolphin's Saafarr.

Rashaan has matured in a very decent hurdler since his sole flat start for the Aga Khan and can score in the finale.