Curragh Racecourse 07/06/2023
Wednesday evenings card comes from the Curragh Racecourse, with an 8-race card that gets underway at 5:00pm. We have a mixture of informative maidens and Premier Handicaps to get stuck into, with the possibility of seeing a Royal Ascot 2-year-old thrown into the mix. Here are our teams’ best bets on the card.
5:00 – Holden Plant Rentals Irish EBF (C & G) Maiden (2yo)
The opening race at 5:00 has some superb pedigrees on show and it will be worth watching the likes of Huxley, Portland and the €2.4m Yearling Diego Velazquez. It is not the sort of race where an obvious bet appears, especially with so many well-bred newcomers, but it is worth watching.
5:30 – Oak Solutions Group Irish EBF Race (2yo)
However, half-an-hour later at 5:30 we have the Oak Solutions Group Irish EBF Race for 2-year-olds and we do have a selection here in the shape of ALABAMA.
He is a well-bred son of No Nay Never who is closely related to Sioux Nation and Isle of Innisfree and was sent off a warm 13/8 favourite for his debut at Cork in April. It could be perceived that he disappointed when only 3rd, but the smart winner Noche Magica has boosted the form since, as has the fifth placed Port Louis who has won a maiden in the interim.
The heavy ground at Cork was probably against him and he wasn’t given a hard time once it became clear that he wasn’t going to win, but it was still a promising debut. Ryan Moore retains the ride and if he builds on his debut, it should be enough to win this, despite the presence of his well-bred stablemates Mountain Bear and The Liffey.
6:00 – Montane Developments Supporting Relay For Life Fillies & Mares Maiden (3yo+)
At 6:00 we have a Fillies maiden over 12-furlongs, where the Jessica Harrington trained Scarlett O’Hara sets a fair standard after a pair of second-placed finishes so far this season. She should run her race, but she has looked one paced at times and may well be vulnerable to an improving type like AIRD.
She finished ahead of Scarlett O’Hara when fifth on debut at Leopardstown back in October, a race that has worked out well with the likes of Sounds of Heaven, Boogie Woogie and Shamida filling the places. Having settled towards the rear, she was patiently ridden and ultimately unlucky not to finish closer after being short of room in the home straight. This was still a promising debut (Timeform gave her a rating of 76+) and if building on that she should go very close in a maiden like this.
6:30 – Sky Bet Extra Places Every Day (Premier Handicap) (3yo)
We move on to the pair of Premier Handicaps, which start at 6:30 with a competitive 3-year-old sprint over the minimum trip. That races looks too open to have a confident selection, so we will wait until 7:00 for our next pick.
7:00 – Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Handicap (Premier Handicap) (4yo+)
This is an Ebor qualifying race and looks to be the strongest contest on the card, but if there is a standout performer who may well contest the Ebor itself in August, then it is probably WHITE CAVIAR. She is an Australia filly and a half-sister to Galileo Chrome and made a very pleasing return from a 6-month absence when finishing 3rd in a Listed race at Gowran Park 5-weeks ago.
Having been settled in rear under Declan McDonogh, keeping on strongly in the closing stages in what is best described as a “never nearer” run. The strength of that form has yet to be fully tested as the first 2 have yet to reappear, but the winner, Final Gesture, had some smart form when she was trained in France, and it would suggest that White Caviar may well be capable of running well on a mark of 90 over a trip that she clearly relishes.
7:30 & 8:00
The next 2 races are difficult puzzles to solve. The maiden at 7:30 looks a relatively weak affair based on the levels of form that those with experience has shown, although the gelding operation may well help Desert Haven to finally get his head in front at the ninth time of asking. Backing an 8-race maiden doesn’t really appeal though, so we will leave that race, along with the 22-runner handicap at 8:00. Our final selection comes up in the closing race at 8:30 which is a National Hunt Flat race over 2-miles.
8:30 – Betting Better With Sky Bet Flat Race (4yo+)
It may seem unusual to have a card at the Curragh finish with a bumper, but this looks a decent contest and the 2 to focus on are surely Bumble Bee Bet and EXTRAPOLATION. The former was a nice winner of a bumper at Ayr in April, but that looked to be a relatively weak end of season contest and although the form has yet to be tested, the suspicion is that it is some way short of what Extrapolation has achieved.
He won a bumper at Downpatrick at the start of May before making a very pleasing hurdles debut when second to Barry Lyndon at Punchestown a fortnight ago (front three came clear). This looks to be a good opportunity for him on that evidence.
Our team will be back tomorrow with their thoughts on Thursdays Leopardstown card.
Curragh Racecourse 07/06/2023 – Top Picks
