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THE first running of the newly-enriched Friends of the Curragh Irish Cesarewitch takes place on Sunday.
Now worth €600,000, the two-mile handicap is set to attract a very high-class field as it stakes a claim to becoming one of the most important staying races in the calendar.
A full field of 30 runners is expected for Sunday’s race and, unusually, it will be started from stalls which in itself promises to be a notable sight.
The race is restricted to horses rated 110 or below and early indications suggest the race will be a higher quality race than the Cesarewitch in Newmarket.
At time of writing, number 30 in the Curragh entries is rated 97 compared to a rating of 93 for the 30th horse in the Newmarket entries.
Aidan O’Brien told us that he still hopes to run the three-year-old Waterville in the Cesarewitch, though the horse has a final piece of work to do beforehand. Waterville is the ante-post favourite at around 6/1.
There was a lot of chat about this son of Camelot at the Ballydoyle press day back in March. However, he was beaten at odds-on on his first three starts before winning a modest Limerick handicap over an extended two miles in June off a mark of 85.
A respectable second to the progressive Point King over a mile and a half on his only other start, Waterville is rated 99 and unlikely to be balloted out.
One innovation this year has been to protect the winners of five premier handicaps from the ballot.
These ‘win and you’re in’ horses are Earl Of Tyrone, Echoes In Rain and La Hacienda. Ulster Derby winner Urban Oasis and last Saturday’s Petingo Handicap winner Moracana were also guaranteed starting places but have not been entered.
Boosting the Irish Cesarewitch into one of Europe’s most valuable handicaps was the brainchild of former Horse Racing Ireland chairman Joe Keeling. Supporters of the Curragh have committed to three years’ support for the race under the banner ‘Friends of the Curragh’. “I am very pleased to have been involved in the redevelopment of the Curragh into a world class facility for which a number of people deserve great credit and thanks,” Keeling said. “I am delighted to play a small part in supporting this new initiative and hope it will attract national and international interest. The two-mile track is a great test of a horse’s speed and stamina and the race will take plenty of winning.”
There is also a new charity aspect to the race which brings back memories of the Irish Sweeps Derby. A draw will take place live on Kildare FM on Friday at 10.30am to match the 30 runners in the Irish Cesarewitch with 30 local bars. Each bar has selected a charity or community group which will benefit from a generous prize fund if ‘their’ horse finishes in the first five.
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