A bad day at the office on Saturday. Hopefully we get back on track on Sunday, my 2024 Irish Champions Weekend Curragh tips are below.
1.50 – Bold Lad Handicap (Premier)
At odds of 10/1 I am keeping the faith with Torivega here.
Regular readers will know I rate this horse. We have backed him on two of his
last three starts, at Royal Ascot where he was given a poor ride and then here
in a Premier Handicap where he finished an unlucky fourth. He was too short for
the blog last time when unlucky again in third over C&D but he is a just about
acceptable 10/1 today.
Robbie Colgan has lost the ride to David Egan and he could
be the man to crack the code. The ground should be ideal for him and he will
have options from stall 12. If Egan can manage to chart a clear passage on
Sheila Lavery’s son of Lope De Vega, hopefully he can gain his first handicap
win. At odds of 10/1, Torivega is the e/w selection.
2024 Irish Champions Weekend Curragh Tip: Torivega e/w @
10/1 (6 places) NAP
2.25 – Blandford Stakes (Group 2)
As I mentioned yesterday, I fancied Rogue Millenium to run big
in the Matron Stakes. Connections have decided to go for this 10f
Group 2 instead but stable jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle prefers the proven 10f
performer American Sonja.
I am going to leave the O’Brien runners alone and instead, I’ll
take a punt on Bellezza at much bigger odds. Ger Lyons’ got a lovely winner on
the board on Saturday and I am not sure this filly should be such a big price
at around 25/1.
Listed Form
The daughter of Siyouni has been running excellent races in
Listed company at 10f to 13f without quite getting her head in front. She found
just Birdman too good over 13f at Navan in May, Hanalia (re-opposes here) beat
her 0.75L over 10.5f at Naas in July and then she was beaten the same distance
in third behind The Euphrates and Kinesiology at Gowran later that month.
The Euphrates has since finished second in a G3, Kinesiology
was a fine second in a G3 at Leopardstown yesterday so the form is pretty
decent. Lyons now tries blinkers on Bellezza and if they can eke out even a
tiny bit of improvement, she won’t be far away from a place here. At odds of
25/1, she is the e/w selection.
2024 Irish Champions Weekend Curragh Tip: Bellezza e/w @ 25/1
3.00 – Moyglare Stud Stakes (Group 1)
The worst turnout for this race in recent memory. Just five
runners and three of them from Ballydoyle. Bedtime Story is 6/5 and to be honest,
I am surprised she isn’t odds on. Lake Victoria also brings an unblemished record
into the race and she rates a danger, as does the Ger Lyons filly Red Letter.
The sole UK raider Simmering is an improving sort and she
could go well too but she is too short for the blog. I wouldn’t fully discount
the rag Exactly given that she gave Bedtime story a race here last time but with
just five runners and only two places on offer, this is an easy race to swerve.
No bet.
2024 Irish Champions Weekend Curragh Tip: No Bet
3.35 – Flying Five Stakes (Group 1)
The race of the weekend in my opinion. A huge field of 18
will take their chances in this 5f sprint and it is a truly stacked field. Matilda
Picotte is an intriguing runner on her first ever run over the minimum trip. She
has an exceedingly high cruising speed over 7f and this looks well worth a shot.
If there is any rain, she could make a very bold bid.
Moss Tucker won this last year and he is back to defend his
crown. Ken Condon left him off for the summer, presumably to get softer ground
later in the season. He ran with credit in the Sprint Cup at Haydock on his
first run back but he is another one that might have appreciated a bit more
rain. I am going to leave him today and hope that he gets his ground in the Champions
Sprint at Ascot next month.
Keep The Faith
We have backed Makarova a couple of times already this
season. She was ridden too forward in the King’s Stand and then the rattling
quick ground was no use to her in the Nunthorpe. The slightly kinder surface
today should be more to her liking and she ran a massive race over C&D when
an arguably unlucky third behind Believing in the G2 Sapphire Stakes back in
July.
Believing is drawn in stall 1 today and she is the 3/1 fav. There’s
lots of pace in the lower stalls and I am hoping Makarova can sit off them
early and get a late tow into the race. Tom Marquand looks an eye-catching
booking and he has form figures of 1244462 on Ed Walker’s mare (the sixth was a
1.75l defeat in last year’s Abbaye). Hopefully he can conjure another good run
out of her today at odds of 20/1.
2024 Irish Champions Weekend Curragh Tip: Makarova e/w @
20/1 (4 places) NB
4.10 – Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (Group 1)
Henri Matisse will be popular with favourite backers in this
7f Group 1 for the 2yos. He is 3/3 so far, all at this track. The form of his
last two small field wins in G2 company isn’t the easiest to weigh up and I think
it is safe to say this is going to be a much tougher proposition.
Aomori City looks an obvious threat, as does Scorthy Champ
who only has 2L to find with the market leader on their meeting here three
weeks ago. However, I will take them all on with the UK raider, Seagulls
Eleven.
Trained by Hugo Palmer, this son of Galileo Gold has won one
of his three starts. The victory came second time up in a Haydock novice on
fast ground over this trip when he beat Green Storm by over 2l. However, it was
his first run in Group 2 company at Newmarket that makes him of interest today.
In the Superlative Stakes he found just Ancient Truth too
good, regarded as one of Godolphin’s best 2yos by Charlie Appleby. Back in third
in that race was Wimbledon Hawkeye, who subsequently finished a superb second behind
The Lion In Winter in the G3 Acomb Stakes at York. I think that form puts him
right in the mix in this company and at odds of 12/1, Seagulls Eleven is worth
backing e/w.
2024 Irish Champions Weekend Curragh Tip: Seagulls Eleven
e/w @ 12/1
4.45 – Irish St Leger (Group 1)
A race which will more than likely be dominated by those at
the head of the market. It will probably boil down to a battle between Giavellotto
and Kyprios and the value may just lie with the Botti horse but I am happy to
just watch and enjoy this one. No bet.
2024 Irish Champions Weekend Curragh Tip: No bet
5.20 – Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Race (2yo)
These sales races are the bane of my life. However, surely one
of my selections will run a decent race someday, hopefully this is the day it
happens! The one I’ll throw a few pennies at is Bluebelardo.
Trained by Michael Grassick, this filly was never sighted on
her debut here over 6f. She was sent off 200/1 for her second start at Naas and
she belied those odds with a massive run in fourth, beaten just 1.75L behind the
85 rated Rebel Diamond.
Just 0.75l in front of her in third was Right And True, a 5/1
shot for this. Now, it must be said that Bluebelardo didn’t look the most
straightforward of rides. She kept on lugging to the left and Rory Cleary had to
take a pull to try and angle her off the rail in the closing stages. Hopefully
she has learnt from that experience and if she has, she could outrun her odds
of 66/1.
2024 Irish Champions Weekend Curragh Tip: Bluebelardo 0.5pt
e/w @ 66/1 (4 places)
5.55 – Northfields Handicap (Premier)
Johnny Murtagh has a fine record in this race. He won it in
2022 and 2020 and he had the fifth and seventh in it last year. The one that
finished fifth last year was Take Heart off a mark of 95 and he is back for another
go off 4lb higher. Billy Lee rides him but I am going to take a chance on his other
runner, Mashhoor.
He was a Group 3 winner over this C&D last season, trouncing
Al Riffa by almost 5l. He has a fine record here over 10f overall when he has
had his favoured good ground and he looks likely to have his optimum conditions
today.
He is the top rated here at 105 but Murtagh has enlisted a
10lb claimer to ease his burden. He’ll effectively be running off 95, he won
his last handicap start at Cork off 96. This season hasn’t gone to plan for him
so far but he’s been running in exalted company on ground softer than ideal.
When he did get his ground at Chester, that track didn’t suit.
He now drops back into handicap company and if he could rediscover
the form he showed when winning that G3 here last year, he could lead these on a merry
dance. Patrick McGettigan has a win and a second from five previous rides for
Murtagh, hopefully he can steer Mashhoor into the money at odds of 18/1.
2024 Irish Champions Weekend Curragh Tip: Mashhoor e/w @ 18/1
(4 places) NB
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