Hear the full interview
From 18:15 in Tuesday’s episode of Nick Luck Daily. Press play to start at the interview.
Mikey Sheehy believes Hell Of A Spin can again prove the doubters wrong when he takes his first Breeders’ Cup ride in Friday’s Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland.
The Adrian Keatley-trained colt has placed at Group 3, Group 2 and Group 1 level at big prices this season, and Sheehy thinks he is still underrated. “He’s been an underdog all year, and he’s always shown up,” he told Nick Luck as the sun rose at Keeneland on Tuesday. “I don’t think anyone believes how good he really is. But he’s been training well, he’s in good order, and we’re expecting a big run.”
Hell Of A Spin is drawn 11 of 12. “We’re drawn out in 11, so probably a bit of a task on our hands,” Sheehy said. “In the UK he’s sharp away from the gates. Obviously it’s a different ballgame over here, but if he breaks smart, we’ll get in as best we can and ride him for a bit of luck more than anything.”
“That’s where every jockey, trainer and owner in the world wants to be.”
Mikey Sheehy on the Breeders’ Cup
It is Sheehy’s first visit to Keeneland, and he is relishing it. “It’s unbelievable. So delighted to get an opportunity like this,” he said. “The magnitude of this event is off the scale. A lot of things have to go right, but my horse is very straightforward. He’s good from the gates, he travels, he does everything right. Hopefully a bit of luck on the day will see him show.”
A first season to remember
The Irishman has enjoyed a fine first season in Britain, with 20 winners including the Cambridgeshire on Pierre Royal for Adrian ‘Ado’ McGuinness, the first Irish-trained winner of the race this century.
“I can’t thank Adrian [Keatley] enough for picking up the phone and asking me to come over,” he said. “For a first season in the UK, I couldn’t have asked for it to go any better. To get a Cambridgeshire winner, and to ride another big one for Ado, was great. Hopefully we keep building the contacts and keep improving.”
He also has family support in Kentucky. His brother Danny moved over a year and a half ago, starting with Brendan Walsh, and is now riding winners in the States. “He’s living just ten minutes from the track,” Sheehy said. “He’s riding track work for everybody and banging in the winners, so it’s nice to get over and see something different.”
