There’s some top class Flat action at the Curragh this weekend with the Irish Guineas Festival being the showpiece event. Field Of Gold is a hot favourite for the Irish 2000 Guineas on Saturday, while Lake Victoria is set to be a warm order for the Irish 1000 Guineas on Sunday. Our in-house tipster takes a look at the meeting and picks out two horses to back and two to lay during the weekend.
3.05 Curragh Saturday – Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes – LAY Storm Boy
A multiple Group winner in Australia, STORM BOY will make his Irish debut for Aidan O’Brien on Saturday in the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes at 3:05pm and the Ballydoyle newcomer is a red-hot favourite to claim the prize. Proven at the highest level Down Under he has some very smart form in Group 1 company and the sprint divisions in Oz can often be ahead of that in the UK & Ireland.
However, it’s a big ask on his first start on Irish soil to land a race of this magnitude and he’s likely to improve immeasurably for the run and could be worth taking on first time out. Runner-up in the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket, Kevin Ryan’s Grand Grey should be a big thorn in his side, while My Mate Alfie has a Listed win on his CV, so is another that could topple the O’Brien hotpot.
3.40 Curragh Saturday – Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas – BACK Field Of Gold
John & Thady Gosden’s FIELD OF GOLD failed to reel in Ruling Court in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket a few weeks ago, but the Kingman colt can make amends on Saturday afternoon with victory in the Irish 2000 Guineas. Having given his Godolphin rival first run, the Gosden raider rattled home in the closing stages, but was just unable to reel him in the closing stages.
With Kieran Shoemark replaced by Colin Keane for the ride, Field Of Gold is likely to be a little closer to the pace and if he can quicken in similar fashion to Newmarket then it’s going to be hard to see him beaten here. Cosmic Year is a fascinating rival and has been imperious on the track so far and has to be a live adversary to Field Of Gold, but the Gosden star can prove he’s best one-mile three-year-old colt in training and land the prize for favourite backers.
3.05 Curragh Sunday – Tattersalls Gold Cup – LAY Los Angeles
Aidan O’Brien has a stunning record in the Tattersalls Gold Cup with ten wins in the race and he will look to extend his record to 11 successes on Sunday in the Grade 1 contest at 3:05pm. He will saddle the top notch performer LOS ANGELES, who kicked off his campaign with a win in the Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh a few weeks ago.
He narrowly got the better of White Birch that day and that pair will lock horns again in this contest and it would be no shock to see the form switched around here. Los Angeles has tended to show excellent stamina, so this 1m 2f could be a little on the short side, and he could well get tapped for toe a little by White Birch, while Kalpana is another smart proven Group performer that can down him here.
3.40 Curragh Sunday – Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas BACK Lake Victoria
It’s a meeting often dominated by Ballydoyle and Aidan O’Brien is bidding for an astonishing 11th win in the Irish 1000 Guineas at 3:40pm at the Curragh. He will saddle the exciting filly LAKE VICTORIA in the 1m Group 1 Classic and if she can bounce back from her disappointing display in the English 1000 Guineas a few weeks ago then she can land the prize.
She could only finish sixth behind Desert Flower, but the trainer has expressed his thoughts that she will come on leaps and bounds for that first run of the season and the top notch juvenile can simply outclass her rivals here. A winner at the track in the Moyglare Stud Stakes last season, she is a proven top class act and if she can hold a solid, prominent position through the first part of the race then she can kick clear late on and is worth backing.
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