Ger Lyons looking for Irish 2000 Guineas reaction before Hong Kong jaunt

Ger Lyons' Atomic Jones will take to the jet-setting life after Saturday's Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas as he heads to Asia for the Hong Kong Derby.

The Wootton Bassett colt took a Leopardstown Group 2 before returning to the track to claim a reasonable third in the Derby Trial behind Stone Age on May 8.

This could be the final time that Atomic Jones runs for Lyons so the trainer is hopeful of a successful sign off before the horse's Asian adventure.

Lyons told talkSPORT2: "He definitely needed the run (at Leopardstown). He's been sold to go to Hong Kong to go and win a Hong Kong Derby. It's a race very close to the hearts of the Kwok family and is his objective.

"I should have started him in the first Derby trial, but he had a 5lb penalty and I was dissuaded from doing so. But for a horse of his size, we should have done, because he needed the run badly.

"We're not going to have long left with him before he has to ship out to Hong Kong and if he was to finish in the first three or four of the Irish Guineas it would take a run like that for them (his owners) to be confident of him in a Hong Kong Derby."

The trainer is well aware of the threat of Native Trail but will take his chances anyway.

"I took a view that Native Trail was coming over, which left an open race for second, third and fourth," he continued.

"If I ran him in the Gallinule Stakes on Friday he would have another 5lb penalty. He won his maiden at the track, he's since won a Group Two, he's in great order so I took a view to kick on and, especially with the ground easing, it will suit him.

"He should be hitting the line strong and he's come on for his first run, so you'd like to think he will be knocking on the door without ever being good enough to frighten the likes of Native Trail. You are running for place money and everything after that is a bonus."