Eight selections for Saturday’s card at the Curragh.
- 13:18 Paul Pierre (if the market vibe is reasonable) (Price TBC)
- 13:53 So Lovely (NAP) (13/8)
- 14:28 Luca Brillante (3/1)
- 15:03 Great Barrier Reef (4/5)
- 15:40 Faiyum (NB) (5/1)
- 16:15 Hardy Warrior (6/1) / Hellorhighwater (15/2) (if pressed, Hardy Warrior)
- 16:50 Rosato (13/2) / Four Blondes (14/1)
- 17:25 Ndaawi (Price TBC) to beat Star Harbour
Prices correct as at 19:20 on Friday, August 28
BAR 1 Betting horse racing markets can be found via this link
Markets for the Curragh on Saturday can be found via this link
13:18 – John Ormonde Wexford Sand Irish EBF colts & geldings Maiden, 8f, €22,000
Aidan O’Brien runs three, including Albany County (Wayne Lordan), a half-brother to English 1,000 Guineas winner Mother Earth who showed plenty of promise when fourth on debut, and Darkness Falls (Ryan Moore), who finished third of five runners on his Leopardstown debut.
Joseph O’Brien runs the Juddmonte-owned debutant Cluster, who is by Frankel and is closely related to six-time Group 1 winner Midday. Colin Keane is on board.
Paul Pierre is closely related to such performers as outstanding stayer Kyprios, Irish Derby winner Free Eagle, dual Irish St Leger winner Search For A Song, and Chester Cup winner Falcon Eight, so he is an interesting newcomer for Moyglare Stud and Dermot Weld.
Selection: If the market is encouraging, Paul Pierre, otherwise follow the market.
13:53 – The Group 3 Newtownanner Std Irish EBF Stakes, 2yo fillies, 8f, €70,000
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, So Lovely is the first offspring of five-time Group 1 winner Love and she made it third-time lucky when wining at Leopardstown on August 20th. To be fair, she had run well on her two previous starts as well. She can keep the improvement coming here.
Selection: So Lovely
14:28 – Audi Naas Nursery Handicap, 7f, €21,000
Just the six runners in the nursery and Luca Brillante took a big step in the right direction when finishing third in a Roscommon maiden last time. This will be her first run in a handicap and she can go close. Recent Leopardstown maiden winner Banks Of The Boyne rates as the danger.
Selection: Luca Brillante
BAR 1 Betting extends its sponsorship of the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh
15:03 – The Group 3 Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes, 2yo, 6f, €70,000
Ryan Moore teams up with the unbeaten Coventry Stakes winner Great Barrier Reef here and, despite having to concede weight to the field, he can go well again. Rulers Control finished fourth in a Listed Race at Royal Ascot, while 85,000gns breeze-up purchase Push The Boat Out won nicely on his debut for trainer Michael O’Callaghan. Where Love Lives ran well on his first start for Donnacha O’Brien in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood last time, and Livenka arrives here on the back of a tidy win in the valuable Ballyhane Stakes at Naas. However, Great Barrier Reef might just be able to concede the weight to, principally, Where Love Lives.
Selection: Great Barrier Reef
15:40 – Group 3 Snow Fairy Fillies’ Stakes, 3yo+, 9f, €70,000
Sixteen runners for this Group 3 contest, including two from Britain, which are George Boughey’s Della Pace (Ronan Whelan) and John and Thady Gosden’s Miss Scott (Christophe Soumillon). Faiyum hasn’t quite built on the good impression left when winning a Group 3 at Gowran Park last year but maybe she has taken a while to come to hand (her last run was on May 5th). She remains interesting. Aidan O’Brien pitches Garden Party (Wayne Lordan), a daughter of Wootton Bassett and three-time Group 1 winner Roly Poly, into Group company following a maiden win. Aidan also runs Drop Dead Gorgeous (Ryan Moore), a half-sister by Dubawi to three Classic winners, Gleneagles, Marvellous and Joan Of Arc. She has run modestly in her last three races but showed a lot of promise earlier in the campaign. Denis Hogan’s Meriden has been a revelation this year, winning five in a row, including a Listed Race, before finishing second to one of today’s opponents, Pivotal Attack, at listed level at Galway last time out.
Selection: Faiyum
16:15 – The 100,000 Tote Irish Cambridgeshire, 8f, 3yo+
There are 18 runners for this big prize.
Bought for 100,000gns at a horses-in-training sale in October, Hellorhighwater prevailed by a nose on his first run for his new stable at Limerick in April. He hasn’t been seen since but could well be nicely handicapped off 88 for a canny stable (Natalia Lupini). Andy Slattery’s Loughrea is another lightly raced type open to plenty of improvement, while Big Gossey is at the opposite end of the spectrum being a 9yo with ten Curragh wins to his name. He’s quite remarkable and you can never rule out a good run from him here. Pierre Royal ran well over a shorter trip at Galway last time and Ado McGuinness’s horses are running well. A visor is an interesting addition to Hardy Warrior, who has a touch of class about him, while Rahmi, who is a course-and-distance winner, won a 7f Leopardstown handicap off 103 in Sept of last year and arrives here rated 97. Lord Massusus won a listed race last year when rated 107 and arrives here rated 92 and showed a bit more sparkle at Galway over 7f last time out. Genuine Article finished second in this race last year when rated 90 and arrives here rated 83, while Slieve Binnian won over c/d from today’s rating June of last year and ran well when fourth in the ‘Red God’ Handicap last time, albeit over a longer trip than today. Johnny Soda has won three of his last five races for Ado McGuinness and, despite being 3lbs ‘wrong’ in the weights, has very good apprentice Reese Holohan booked to ride.
The winning stall in this race in the last ten years (most recent first) = 6-6-1-21-5-13-24-19-27-23
There has been no winning favourite in the last ten years, with six of the winners being returned at 20/1 or bigger.
Dermot Weld and Joseph O’Brien have won the last four Irish Cambridegshires between them.
Selection: Two against the field, Hardy Warrior and Hellorhighwater
16:50 – Holden Plant Rentals Apprentice Handicap, 6f, 3yo+, €18,000
21 runners for the card’s apprentice handicap. This race has been run three times, with the winning stall being 16, 17 and 18, with the winners’ SPs being 6/1, 8/1 and 14/1.
Lightly raced, Naoui won at Leopardstown last time over 7f and could be open to any amount of improvement. She has a low draw and has rarely run at this trip. Check the market. Four Blondes is well-weighted based on last year’s best efforts. Rosato won over today’s trip at Naas last year from a mark of 60 (now 62) and a good run is entirly likely. The lightly raced Apothic Red arrives on the back of a good run at Sligo in a first-time visor. Dervo Annie is capable of a good run, although this will be her first run at today’s trip since her debut. Nine-time winner Tawaazon won off 65 over 6f at Naas in May of last year and is now rated 56. Trainer Paul Flynn won this race two years ago and first-time cheek-pieces could improve his runner Cafu Zafeen, although he’d have to get back to his 2024 form in Britain in order to get involved. Shimmering Seas is also tried in first-time cheek-pieces and is another that could go well even though she is a maiden after eight starts, while Another Nice’day is not far off a winning mark and a good run would not be a surprise.
Selection: In a tricky race, Rosato, who went close over c/d seven days ago, is a hopeful choice. Four Blondes makes it onto the ‘two against the field’ list.
17:25 – Pat Smullen Cancer Trials Ireland Charity Race Supported by Ballylinch Stud, 4yo+, 12f, 4yo+, Winner €59
Many congratulations, best wishes and good luck to everyone taking part in this extremely worthy cause, instigated by the late Pat Smullen and successfully and passionately continued by, not least, his wife Frances and their children since Pat passed away in 2020.
Nina Carberry riding Ndaawi for Gordon Elliott catches the eye.
Tadhg McGuinness riding Star Harbour for his father Ado is another to make it onto the shortlist.
Selection: Ndaawi
The Curragh selections for Saturday August 29th
- 13:18 Paul Pierre (if the market vibe is reasonable)
- 13:53 So Lovely (NAP)
- 14:28 Luca Brillante
- 15:03 Great Barrier Reef
- 15:40 Faiyum (NB)
- 16:15 Hardy Warrior / Hellorhighwater (if pressed, Hardy Warrior)
- 16:50 Rosato / Four Blondes
- 17:25 Ndaawi to beat Star Harbour
