Deirdre: Mitsuru Hashida on his stable star ahead of her historic bid
Deirdre's trainer Mitsuru Hashida talks to Scott Burton about his stable star's chances in the Irish Champion Stakes and what it means to saddle the first Japanese runner in Ireland.
Deirdre produced a brilliant performance when winning the Nassau Stakes. How would you compare the level of form she showed in that race to her best runs over the last year?
She has great ability and has hugely powerful hind legs. At her peak, she can extend her length of stride 10 per cent longer than other horses. I think her best races from last year were the Ireland Trophy Fuchu Himba Stakes and the Longines Hong Kong Cup, and she performed to a similar level of form when winning the Qatar Nassau Stakes.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
- 'The display was dripping in class' - David Jennings hands out his awards from the Irish Champions Festival
- 'We couldn't have written the stories any better ourselves' - Irish Champions Festival attendances up ten per cent
- O'Brien just keeps on playing the astronomical numbers game and brings up winner number 4,000 at the Curragh
- Curragh: 'She had been running well all season' - consistency rewarded as Lumiere Rock lands Blandford Stakes
- Genius training or ideal ground - what lay behind Auguste Rodin's dramatic revival in Irish Champion Stakes?
- 'The display was dripping in class' - David Jennings hands out his awards from the Irish Champions Festival
- 'We couldn't have written the stories any better ourselves' - Irish Champions Festival attendances up ten per cent
- O'Brien just keeps on playing the astronomical numbers game and brings up winner number 4,000 at the Curragh
- Curragh: 'She had been running well all season' - consistency rewarded as Lumiere Rock lands Blandford Stakes
- Genius training or ideal ground - what lay behind Auguste Rodin's dramatic revival in Irish Champion Stakes?