1.25 Kildare House Hotel Irish EBF Maiden 6f
Paddy Twomey’s newcomer Armada De Lope makes plenty of appeal on paper. Bought for 210,000gns as a yearling from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, she’s a half-sister to Twilight Gleaming, who finished second as 9/4 favourite for Wesley Ward in the 2021 Queen Mary Stakes before winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint later that season. Another of her half-siblings, Spartan Arrow, won a listed sprint for Archie Watson in June this year. The Lope De Vega filly is one of six entries for the yard in next year’s Irish 1000 Guineas.
White Smoke has switched yards since an encouraging second last time and Colin Keane is a positive booking. Saville Row ran better in the first-time blinkers last time at Naas when second. He’ll need to improve again but the experience of two previous runs will stand to him here.
SELECTION: ARMADA DE LOPE
Next best: Savile Row
2.00 HearMed Your Health, Your Hearing Joe McGrath Handicap (Premier Handicap) 5f
Keke didn’t run badly when beaten four lengths from a tough draw in the Bold Lad Handicap at the Irish Champions Festival, and met some interference then, so could be worth giving another try despite having to shoulder top weight. His win in this race 12 months ago came off 84, and he’s up to 99 now, though he is 1lb lower than two starts ago when second here over the same course and distance.
Sir Les Patterson finished in front of the selection last time on what was his first start since joining Stephen Thorne for 155,000gns at the Tattersalls July Sale. He’s bound to be in the thick of it again. It’s possible he’ll put up 2lb overweight but you have to go back to May 2022 to find the last time that Shane Foley did 8st 7lb in Ireland (previous time was 2019, according to Horse Racing Ireland), so it must be viewed as positive for the frustrating but talented Greek Flower that the leading rider is jocked up for that weight on her.
SELECTION: KEKE
Next best: Sir Les Patterson
2.35 Qatar Racing and
Equestrian Club Beresford Stakes (Group 2) 1m
This is clearly a step up from winning a maiden last time, but Hawk Mountain is bred to be high class, as a son of the late Wootton Bassett and dual Group 1 winner Hydrangea, and should be open to improvement on just his third start. Aidan O’Brien has failed to win the last three runnings of this race, but previously had captured 11 consecutive renewals.
Geryon sets the form standard here for Ger Lyons after finishing second behind Constitution River in the Futurity Stakes here five weeks ago.
He beat Port Of Spain by four and a quarter lengths on debut, a rival who reopposes here and finished five lengths behind Hawk Mountain in a maiden on his next start.
SELECTION: HAWK MOUNTAIN
Next best: Geryon
3.10 Schweppes Trophy
Handicap 7f
A tricky affair to solve in which Booyea gets a tentative nod to bounce back from finishing down the field over 10 furlongs here at the Irish Champions Festival. He had previously run with promise over a mile, and nine furlongs, both here and at Leopardstown, and he’s worth a try back at an even shorter trip now if getting into a rhythm under a more positive ride. Nicola Burns’ 7lb claim will help his cause, and he did beat Gleneagle Bay over this trip at Fairyhouse last year too.
Engines On ran a cracker when beaten only half a length in third in the Cambridgeshire here four weeks ago, and the drop in distance doesn’t look an obvious negative. He was 6lb out of the handicap then, so races 2lb better off now. That makes him appealing. Dunum and Genuine Article are rock-solid types in competitive handicaps around this distance too, though whether they are very well-handicapped at this stage of the season is another matter.
SELECTION: BOOYEA
Next best: Engines On
3.45 Goffs Million 7f
Composing had won three in a row and was thought highly enough of to be sent off even-money favourite for a Moyglare Stud Stakes last time, so switching to a sales race could feel like a good piece of placing if she’s none the worse for that defeat. Connections felt front-running into a headwind could have been a factor in her below-par showing in a Group 1 last time (beaten two and three-quarters of a length in fourth behind stablemate Precise) and she’s rated at least 5lb ahead of everything in this line-up on the back of her wins in the Silver Flash and Debutante Stakes.
Stablemate Dorset was well-held in fourth behind Zavateri in the National Stakes on the same card as Composing, though it felt as though he was there to ensure an honest pace in that Group 1 as the outsider of the stable’s runners. He could show more now. Green Sense, a Group 2 winner at Chantilly two starts ago, earned Group 1 blacktype when third in the Phoenix Stakes when last seen seven weeks ago and brings a decent level of class to proceedings. Stamina is the big question mark on the first try at seven furlongs for the daughter of Starman - her family have mostly tended to excel at closer to six furlongs. Take Charge Star won well in a Gowran maiden earlier this month and could be a dangerous lurker in here for Johnny Murtagh, while Summer Is Tomorrow boasts a likeable profile and has the addition of first-time cheekpieces for this big-field assignment after winning an eight-runner affair at Roscommon last time.
SELECTION: COMPOSING
Next best: Dorset
4.20 McDonnell’s Bar Newbridge Rated Race 7f
Iceford’s last couple of runs haven’t been as encouraging as how he started his season, but he’s now back to what looks like his ideal track and trip for Johnny Murtagh, who so often strikes on big weekends at the Curragh. He never got to really settle into a rhythm when rushed up to chase the pace in the Ahonoora Handicap at Galway last time and this course - against just six rivals - should allow him more of an opportunity to find his feet early.
Glen To Glen takes a big drop in distance, but he did win a six-furlong maiden here on the opening day of the season, so it could be that he’s quite a versatile sort. Collecting Coin is less exposed than most and must be respected in a race of this nature, while Charasson is a talented operator but the combination of a longer trip and the top weight as a filly presents a fresh challenge for her.
SELECTION: ICEFORD
Next best: Glen To Glen
4.55 Fitzpatrick’s Mercedes-Benz Maiden (Div I) 1m 2f
By typical Curragh standards, these two divides don’t look the strongest of 10-furlong maidens. The first of them might present a good chance for Indian River to get off the mark at the third attempt for the John Murphy yard. His debut run at Galway was a bright one, albeit it was a little disappointing he didn’t really improve on it at Roscommon since when fifth as 9/4 favourite. He’s down in trip a couple of furlongs and might face quicker ground than he’s met in his two previous outings if it continues to dry.
Simurgh was second in the same maiden at Roscommon (today’s rival Juniper Sling in third) and ought to be in the mix again for an in-form yard, though whether the drop in trip is in his favour is uncertain given that promising effort. The Moyglare/Dermot Weld newcomer Glittering Gem is appealing on paper (by Frankel and out of Group 2-placed Kiss For A Jewel), while Jessica Harrington’s debutante Duvessa has some smart siblings.
SELECTION: INDIAN RIVER
Next best: Simurgh
5.30 Fitzpatrick’s Mercedes-Benz Maiden (Div II) 1m 2f
The seven-furlong maiden in which Candleford Green was a major eye-catcher at Leopardstown last October hasn’t worked out the strongest, but she did look a promising sort on that occasion and hails from an excellent family. She possibly could have found conditions as quick as she wants when beaten a length and three-quarters in sixth at Naas on her only start this season, and she’s now had a 132-day break. She ought to relish the extra couple of furlongs here.
A rating of 88 makes Subsonic a massive player, but she needs to put it all together now, albeit she didn’t have a lot of luck in running when seventh at Navan last time. Tswalu, rated 80 and a useful sort, has been frustrating to follow as a beaten favourite on seven of her eight starts (form figures this season of 2223232). Word For Word disappointed at Galway last time, but did shape well enough at Killarney on his previous outing to suggest he has a future.
SELECTION: CANDLEFORD GREEN
Next best: Word For Word