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Snow Fairy could return to Ireland

Wed 24 August 2011

Ed Dunlop has been frustrated by what has been a stop-start season for stable-star SNOW FAIRY, and, having been denied a trip to Deauville on Monday for a race against her own sex in the Prix Jean Romanet because of a technicality in the French rule book, he is now considering taking on the colts again in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday week.

The boss said:"Everything with Snow Fairy is ground dependent, and if it looks like coming up soft again we won't be travelling. But the Irish Champion looks the best option now as there are precious few fillies only races left."

"Obviously, it will be tougher taking on the colts and in all probability we will again face So You Think. Snow Fairy is now a much fitter filly than she was in the Eclipse and if we get our ground we won't be running scared. Ouija Board was mugged on the line by Dylan Thomas in the Irish Champion five years ago, so it would be nice to gain our revenge."

Reflecting on a season which has never really got going for Snow Fairy, who has won Group 1 races in four different countries, Ed added;"We ended last year on a high, having won in Japan and Hong Kong, but she got injured in Dubai in March, and since we got back we have continually been thwarted by the ground."

"We always knew that would be the problem with English summers as they are, but, having had to pull out at York, we thought we had found an ideal Plan B in France. It was not-to-be, but at least it has brought the issue of the obscure French rule to light, and it seems that everyone is pushing to have it removed, so maybe the entry was not in vain."



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