Creggs Pipes on the easy list after Curragh disappointment

Andy Slattery was on Monday breathing a huge sigh of relief after x-rays showed the injuries sustained by his stable star Creggs Pipes in Sunday’s Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh were not as bad as first feared.

A Group 2 winner in the Lanwades Stud Stakes at the Curragh in May, the daughter of Rip Van Winkle raced very free when stepped up to Group 1 company on Sunday, and Slattery revealed he feared the worse when she pulled out of her stable lame on Monday morning.

Slattery said: “She ran very free in the Pretty Polly and was almost uncontrollable. Declan [McDonogh] was never happy and it could have been a case that she was actually running away from the pain.

“When the vet first looked at her he thought her racing days were over, but thankfully the x-rays have showed that it’s only a bad sprain so she'll live to fight another day.

“She'll be on the easy list for up to six weeks but we should have her back this season. The vet said she'll need to be campaigned on soft ground from now on, so we'll pick and chose our targets.”

Dermot Weld: trainer of Forgotten RulesCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The prognosis for Forgotten Rules is also better than first feared after the Group 2-winning seven-year-old was eased down after he was struck into in the Curragh Cup.

Trainer Dermot Weld said: “He got struck into by the winner [Rekindling] but he's alright. He's just very sore and badly bruised on his off hind leg, but he will be back on a racecourse this season.”