The €50,000 BAR 1 Betting Diamond Stakes (Listed Race) is the feature on a seven-race card at Dundalk on Friday. There are two British runners in the race.
Constitution River’s half-sister, Sensational Filly, makes her racecourse debut at 18:30.
Selections:
- 17:30 Aughlish (each-way)
- 18:00 Coincidental Glory
- 18:30 Haven
- 19:00 Leannespour
- 19:30 Geryon
- 20:00 Slieve Binnian (NB)
- 20:30 Wild Berries (Nap)
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19:30 – The €50,000 BAR 1 Betting Diamond Stakes (Listed Race), 3yo+, 1m2f150y
The highest-rated horse on 112 is the Ger Lyons-trained Geryon. He won a Group 3 race at Leopardstown before chasing home subsequent English St Leger runner-up Enceladus in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes over 12f at Goodwood in August. He then finished fifth in a Group 3 race at York over 9f on good to soft going. He’s useful, although he has yet to run on an AW surface. However, his dam won on the AW at Deauville, his grand-dam won a fillies’ Grade 1 in the USA on a fast surface and has produced a US Grade 2 winner on firm going.
There are two British-trained runners in the line-up, which are the Charlie Appleby-trained Military Order (rated 111), and the Sir Mark Prescott-trained Alla Stella (rated 99).
Britain won this race last year with George Scott’s Phantom Flight and in 2018 with Hugo Palmer’s Mootasadir. The Diamond Stakes was first run at Dundalk in 2008 and five winners since then have been trained in Britain, including Charlie Appleby’s Cat O’Mountain, ridden by Fran Berry, in 2014.
Military Order hasn’t run for 315 days but arrives with his stable in hot form (13 winners from their last 21 runners at the time of writing at 14:00 on Weds 23 Sept). Billy Lee has been booked to ride this 6yo gelding that won the Lingfield Derby Trial in 2023, which was run on the AW track at the Surrey venue, and has also won a listed race on Kempton’s AW surface, plus the Group 3 Winter Derby when it was run at Southwell on their AW surface. His absence is of obvious concern although on raw ability he has to be respected.
Alla Stella has finished second in a couple of French listed races on turf this summer and has run well on both AW starts so far, winning a novice stakes race at Kempton in 2024 and finishing fifth (of seven runners), beaten just over four lengths, in a Group 3 race at Newcastle this year. Owned and bred by Kirsten Rausing, she has, as you might imagine, a lovely pedigree.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Charles Fort is rated 103. He has yet to race on an AW surface, although his Group 3-winning half-brother Ville De Grace won at Kempton. However, he has proven himself smart, finishing second to the now-117 rated easy winner A Boy Named Siouxsie in a 10f Group 3 race at the Curragh on August 16th, and third, beaten three lengths, to Quddwah, in a Group 2 race over one mile at Leopardstown on day one of the Irish Champions Festival, September 12th. He is lightly raced and is entitled to be improving and, also, will receive weight from the field.
He is one of two 3yos in the race (the other one is Geryon). Three year-olds have won this race nine times in the 18 times it has been staged at Dundalk.
Kilcrea Rock won easily in first-time headgear here last Friday over 12 furlongs but, now rated 89, has a lot to find with a number of the other runners based on official ratings. It’s a similar story for the 91-rated Spicy Margarita, who has won twice from four visits to Dundalk, and Nuit, who arrives here rated 88.
Elsewhere on the card…
17:30 – Aughlish reserves her best runs for here and ought to go well in the claimer that opens the card. An each-way play is recommended owing to her wide draw.
18:00 – Reese Holohan is an eye-catching booking for Coincidental Glory, who has yet to run a bad race here. Trainer Ado McGuinness is joint-leader of the trainer’s championship this year at Dundalk with 13 winners. Joseph O’Brien also has 13, followed on 12 by Robson de Aguiar and Denis Hogan.
18.30 – The Aidan O’Brien-trained Haven ran a fine race last time when second of 18 runners in a fillies’ maiden at Cork. She is the one to beat in a similar contest.
Others with interesting profiles in the race are Donnacha O’Brien’s Battle Tested, a €165,000 breeze-up purchase, Maple Leaves (by Wootton Bassett out of a mare that won a listed race at Dundalk), also trained by Donnacha, who has four lengths to find on Haven from Cork, Ger Lyons’ Castilian Queen (by Frankel out of a Group 2 and 3 winner), who also has four lengths to find on Haven from Cork, Stephen Thorne’s Crayons In The Sky, who has run well on all three starts so far, one of them here, and Paddy Twomey’s Sensational Filly, a newcomer that cost €300,000 as a yearling. She is a half-sister to this year’s French Derby and Eclipse Stakes winner, Constitution River.
19:00 – Leannespour came home well over c/d last Friday on her first try on the surface. She can build on that here. Storm Eric finished two lengths ahead of her that night but Leannespour is now 2lbs better off at the weights. Queen Leila, who won over c/d from today’s mark in April, could go well.
19:30 – Geryon – see notes above
20:00 – Slieve Binnian. With four wins from seven runs here, he has to be of interest from a mark of 81, even off topweight. An obvious possible danger is Joseph O’Brien’s Handshake, who will be running in a handicap for the first time. He won his maiden here and returns after two unplaced turf runs. Also, Quatre Bras is well-handicapped based on his c/d winning form from last November so could go well, as could Walhaan, who is well-handicapped based on his c/d winning form from last December. Johnny Murtagh’s Sakoku will be running in a handicap, and at Dundalk, for the first time. Ger Lyons’ Bellewstown maiden winner Camino Lad has a similar profile, although his dam and granddam liked some give in the going.
20:30 – Wild Berries. Much as she has been raised 9lbs in the ratings for her win here last Friday, she took to the Dundalk surface like a duck to water and connections are looking to make hay while the sun shines. Victory for her would complete what could be a very good night for star apprentice Reese Holohan (five rides that also include Coincidental Glory, Leannespour and Wild Berries).
Selections:
- 17:30 Aughlish (each-way)
- 18:00 Coincidental Glory
- 18:30 Haven
- 19:00 Leannespour
- 19:30 Geryon
- 20:00 Slieve Binnian (NB)
- 20:30 Wild Berries (Nap)
