LUXEMBOURG is merely the latest in a long line of top-class horses to have graduated from the Group 2 Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford Stakes, one of the highlights on next Saturday’s Curragh card.

Would you believe that Aidan O’Brien has won the past 11 runnings of the race? The roll of honour includes future Group 1 winners Japan, Saxon Warrior and Capri. Going back further, the one-mile contest was won by Casamento, St Nicholas Abbey, Eagle Mountain and Septimus – again all of whom went on to greater things.

And we cannot forget John Oxx’s record – he won it three times in seven years with Azamour, Alamshar and the great Sea The Stars. There can be no doubt, the Beresford is a kingmaker.

Yesterday (Friday) Aidan O’Brien told us that his Beresford Stakes ‘possibles’ are Continuous, Denmark, Greenland and Adelaide River.

Like Saxon Warrior, Continuous was bred in Japan. He is a son of Japanese stallion Heart’s Cry, a great stayer and sire of middle-distance horses in his native country.

After Continuous made an impressive winning debut at the Curragh last month, his trainer said: “Ryan [Moore] was very happy with him and said he’s still a baby. He kept on really well and could go for the Beresford. That’s over a mile but he’s well capable of stepping up.”

Keep it to yourself, but we might just see the 2023 Derby winner next weekend.