Curragh Sunday

Litigant did the business for us yesterday (40/1 adv) with a marvellous and heart warming win for   Joe Tuite. It really is a fairytale story, and to see the small man come out on top on such a big day is what racing is all about.

The search for more value bets moves on to the Curragh today, and there are some decent pots on offer, and some high quality horses on show too,  even if some of the field sizes are rather disappointing, particularly in the Group races.

2.10 Handicap (7F)

Tom Dooley went close for us on his penultimate run here earlier this month at a big price, and he also ran well over an inadequate 6f last time out at Leopardstown, staying on well late,as you would expect, and not beaten far in 5th. He steps back up to his best trip on turf, and he gets his ground too.A strong pace looks assured with plenty of horses that like to race prominently in the field, and off just a pound higher mark of 62 Tom Dooley can go close and looks overpriced.

STEVOS' SELECTION: TOM DOOLEY (10/1)

2.40 Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes (10f)

Only four runners here, and Aidan O'Brien has two, including odds on favourite Found, who with her age/sex allowance gets 11lb from the Jim Bolger trained Answered, who is also rated 4lb lower than Found. She is the clear pick at the figures, and Answered will need a career best to come out on top. Her pedigree suggests that 10f will be fine, and she is the one to beat.

Ol Man River is the other O'Brien contender, and he has largely been disappointing this year, albeit highly tried. He was only 6/1 for the Guineas though, so he must have been showing plenty in his work. His dam Finsceal Beo was best over 8f, but there are 10f and 12f winners in his pedigree so the trip ought to suit. He is the dark horse of the field, and a tactical race could suit.

STEVOS' SELECTION: FOUND (8/11)

3.10 Handicap (6f)

Treachorous looking from a punting point of view with a valid case to be made for all the runners. The suggestion though is Master Speaker, who at 11/2 looks sure to run a big race over a course and distance he loves. His last four runs here over this  trip have seen him produce form figures of 221, and he was also 4th over 6.5f on his last visit. He is just 1lb higher now than he was for his win here, and with O'Donoghue booked he should be right there at the finish.

STEVOS' SELECTION: MASTER SPEAKER (11/2)

3.40 Group 2 Futurity Stakes (7f)

Now Or Never won at Galway in the manner of a very useful animal, and she is the only filly in this five runner Group 2. She gets a handy 3lb from her rivals, and whilst the O'Brien trained Air Vice Marshal has the strongest piece of form on offer, this Bushranger filly should be well up to competing at this sort of level.

She is out of a Pivotal half sister to Dream Ahead, and she herself is out of a Group 2 winner. It is a very nice pedigree indeed, and it is hard to believe she went unsold for10k Guineas at Tattersalls last October. She subsequently went for £42k a few months later, and that could still turn out to be a bargain if she grabs some black type today. The 5th home at Galway, 12 lengths behind, has since gone on to win a maiden, so her form has some substance. She can take the step up to this level in her stride and is a confident selection to give young trainer Micheal O'Callaghan a big race victory en route to possibly even bigger days next year.

STEVOS' SELECTION: NOW OR NEVER (6/1)

4.10 Group 3 Irish St. Leger Trial Stakes (14f)

Order Of St. George will be a tough nut to crack here, particularly in receipt of so much weight from his rivals. This 3yo colt dotted up last time, as he was entitled to as 1/5 fav, but his previous run, over this trip here behind Bondi Beach was franked in a big way with that horse's effort behind Storm The Stars at York this week.

He is getting the guts of a stone from his opponents, and it should be enough to ensure he gets his head in front. At a bigger price Sea Moon is a fascinating contender, and he has some serious pieces of form to his name, including an 8 length defeat of Al Kazeem in The Great Voltigeur at York back in 2011. He is now with John Oxx after a spell down under, and it will be fascinating to see if he retains any of his own ability. Probably best watched for today, but one to keep a close eye on with regard to future races,

STEVOS' SELECTION: ORDER OF ST. GEORGE (11/8)

4.40 Handicap (6f)

The suggestion here is another Mulvany horse, though it is the bigger priced of his two. Cutting Corners shaped with plenty of promise on her first three maiden runs at Dundalk. Her handicap debut was admittedly disappointing, but she has been given a break since then, and the handicapper has dropped her 5lb to a mark of just 51.

She drops back down to 6f for her 2nd handicap run, and there are plenty of turf winners in her pedigree so that should not pose a problem. Declan McDonagh is booked, and at 16/1 it is worth chancing that Mulvany has her fit and ready to run well in a wide open handicap.

STEVOS' SELECTION: CUTTING CORNERS (16/1) E/W

5.10 Handicap (16f)

 A decent race, with some useful types among the entries. The speculative selection is Anthony McCann's Wrap Star, who shaped with definite promise on this ground over a furlong shorter at Leopardstown. His previous run at York off 75 when an unconsidered 33/1 shot was a brilliant effort (16.5f) and he is a similarly huge price this afternoon.

 Chris Hayes left him with too much to do last time out, and if Micheal Hussey can time his challenge correctly Wrap Star has every chance of running into a place.

STEVOS' SELECTION: WRAP STAR (33/1) E/W.