Portman fancying crack at Flying Five with Rumstar

Jonathan Portman is keen for Rumstar to be supplemented for the Flying Five Stakes in Ireland following his fine effort in the Nunthorpe last week.

Since successfully defending his title in the Coral Charge at Sandown in early July, the six-year-old has finished a half-length second to American Affair in the King George Stakes at Goodwood and third behind American ace Bacio – beaten just a nose into second by Starlust – at Group One level at York on Friday.

“He’s come out of it really well, thank goodness,” said Portman.

“It would have been lovely to have been second, having run that well. The American was probably too good for us all, but we were delighted with the run and you can run well in those sort of races and still only finish 10th, so we were very happy with what we could get.

“He’s in a good place mentally and physically at the moment. We just hope that lasts for a bit longer.”

Rumstar is not entered in Flying Five at the Curragh, but connections do have the option of adding him to the field on September 8 at a cost of €40,000.

Portman added: “I’m trying to persuade the owner at the moment to make sure he is in the Flying Five. We’ve got another week for him to see what is in his piggy bank and that is something we’d like to do if the owner is up for it.

“There are so few options for these sprinters. We didn’t overlook it at the entry stage, we just took a view that the programme we’d mapped out for him is what we wanted and we didn’t have Ireland as part of that, but seeing him run so well at York that was probably a mistake, hence we’re thinking of doing a Plan B.

“He’s in the Abbaye. The ground tends to go for that, but he is in the Abbaye, so we’ll still keep that in mind.”