THE hope is that when you’re reading this piece, news will have already come through that the Curragh has been given the green light to race, following this morning’s 7:30am inspection.
It takes a fair deluge to prompt an inspection at HQ but 34mm in a 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday was just that, and further rain was expected yesterday evening, with the track already waterlogged in places.
At the very least, there is a contingency plan for a move to Monday should today’s meeting fall foul of the weather.
Cloudy is the weather and cloudy is the picture for the first classic of the Irish flat season because you could make a legitimate case for eight of the 12 colts today.
The most solid reasoning is for Lucky Vega, who banished stamina doubts with an excellent run at Newmarket, though plenty will still hold that concern for him on the testing surface today.
He takes on an ever present guise of a Newmarket placed horse seeking compensation in the Irish equivalent, and made favourite to do so. But that profile hasn’t always clicked at the Curragh. Elarqam (2018), Van Der Neer (2013), Trumpet Major (2012) and Dubawi Gold (2011) were all made favourite to upgrade Newmarket efforts to a win three weeks later but failed to do so. The outstanding Kingman (2014) was the last placed horse at Newmarket to win at the Curragh.
There seems to be a lurking premonition that one of the Ballydoyle trio, who disappointed at Newmarket, could easily go and win today, and there is precedence for this. Both Power and Roderic O’Connor were beaten 37 and 38 lengths respectively at Newmarket before producing markedly improved performances to win at the Curragh.
There is also precedence with one of Jim Bolger’s hopes as Mac Swiney drops back down in trip today to take on the Irish Guineas with his ever so shrewd trainer still very much looking towards Epsom, just as he did with this colt’s sire New Approach, who finished second here in 2008 before famously showing up to win at Epsom just two weeks later.
It’s just six days since Poetic Flare last ran in a classic, having finished sixth in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains in Longchamp last Sunday. That he turns up today is excellent for the race and again there’s precedence here. Bolger did something very similar with the top class Finsceal Beo who won the 1000 Guineas, finished a head second in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches before winning the Irish 1000, all in three weeks. Don’t doubt the great man.
Another great man is Kevin Prendergast whose Monaasib shouldn’t be discounted, not least for his excellent seasonal debut third to Poetic Flare in the trial for this race at Leopardstown. Yesterday was five years to the day that the 88-year-old sent out his last classic winner, Awtaad, in this race.
British interest comes chiefly from Godolphin representative La Barrosa, whose Craven Stakes form with Master Of The Seas puts him close to both Lucky Vega and Poetic Flare. It’s that kind of race, quantity over quality perhaps, but all the more intriguing for it.
Beach and Busy give Quinn a strong hand in Temple
THE rain hasn’t missed Britain this week either, most notably Haydock, where Bristol De Mai would be right at home if the Betfair Chase was held today.
Instead, it’s the Group 2 Temple Stakes, won by Battaash in the last two seasons but his absence leaves an opportunity, which John Quinn will be somewhat disappointed not to take.
The Tipperary native saddles two top class four-year-old filly sprinters in Liberty Beach and Keep Busy, who finished third and fifth respectively in the Prix de l’Abbaye last October. That’s solid evidence of their ability to handle testing going and it’s no surprise the pair top the market in a seven-runner field.
“They are two good fillies and you have got to run them somewhere, it would be unfair not to run one of them so we’re just hoping for a bit of luck,” Quinn said yesterday.
“I don’t think any extra rain would be a problem for either of them. They’ve form in good ground and they have shown they go in soft ground, which is important.
“Liberty Beach was a very good two-year-old and showed very strong form last year while Keep Busy was a very tough two-year-old and has just kept on improving.”
Either or both fillies could set themselves up for a clash with Battaash in the Kings Stand at Royal Ascot, in which Liberty Beach finished third last season.
FEV Rover will be aimed to give Richard Fahey a first classic win in the Irish 1000 Guineas tomorrow.
The Gutaifan filly, a snip at just £20,000, bought by the seriously shrewd Nick Bradley, was third in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket and bids to go two better at the Curragh tomorrow.
She won a Group 2 on testing going in Deauville last season, and her trainer hopes that experience will help her tomorrow. Speaking on the Tattersalls Irish Guineas Festival preview, Fahey said: “I’ve been preaching all year that I’d love to get her on quick ground and she got that at Newmarket and ran the race of her life.
“But she has won on soft ground and heavy ground and good horses can go on any ground. It won’t hinder us too much and it might hinder a few others.”