13:30 CURRAGH – TALACRE
The drop back to 7f and previous racecourse experience should be enough to see the Ger Lyons trained TALACRE break her maiden in the opening race on the Curragh card this Friday. The Juddmonte owned filly kicked for home and looked the winner at the furlong pole at Leopardstown over a mile last month, before been grabbed late on by Nicest, where the fifth that day, Fly Girl, won at Leopardstownon on Thursday.
Despite some nicely-bred newcomers as dangers, jockey Colin Keane won’t make any mistakes today and her experience will be enough to land this maiden from Shahaada, Shandra and Ubuntu.
Joseph O’Brien runs Ubuntu, a filly by Fastnet Rock on debut for the Magnier family, with Shahaada and Shandra two other interesting newcomers for Kevin Prendergast and Dermot Weld. Both have some nice high-class entries in the book with Shahaada a filly by Awtaad for Sheikh Hamdam and Shandra a homebred for the Aga Khan team by Sea The Stars out of Shareen.
14:00 CURRAGH – FRENETIC
Colin Keane returns to the saddle on FRENETIC for trainer Ger Lyons with this Listed contest over 5f looking a good opportunity for this speedy juvenile to return to winning ways. She’s rated the best runner in the field on 103 and gets a few pounds from her main rivals, Chief Little Hawk for Aidan O’Brien and Jim Bolger’s Eastern Voice. She was extremely impressive when claiming Listed success here in June, before finishing a good second to Aloha Star in the Airlie Stud Stakes last month. The Fozzy Stack trained filly has since boosted the form with a solid second past the post finish (third after disqualification) in the Phoenix Stakes last weekend.
Despite being out-battled and turned over at evens under Gary Carroll at Naas recently to Miss Amulet, she should have enough speed to see off the Bolger and O’Brien runners. Hyde Park Barracks, who finished behind Frenetic at the Curragh might challenge for the lead with both Chief Little Hawk and Eastern Voice returning following defeats in Group company recently. Chief Little Hawk wasn’t beaten too far in the Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood, while Eastern Voice finished second last to Laws Of Indices in the Railway Stakes here last month.
14:30 CURRAGH – SEARCH FOR A SONG
Aidan O’Brien has dominated this St Leger trial by winning the last six renewals and runs both Delphi and Monument Valley this year with Dermot Weld’s 2019 Irish Leger winner, SEARCH FOR A SONG also among the field. Delphi, the pick of Seamie Heffernan is an improving three-year-old having recently won the listed Nijinsky Stakes from the front at Leopardstown and now rated 104. Similar front running tactics might be used today by Heffernan and O’Brien with the son of Galileo getting eight pounds from the Moyglare owned Search For A Song.
It’s been a disappointed season for Dermot Weld’s Classic winner following her poor run behind Leo De Fury in June and been pulled up in the Munster Oaks last month in Cork. However, there were nice signs of improvement when having a spin behind Magical over an inadequate trip in the Tattersalls Gold Cup here last month and a return to the Leger trip looks ideal for her to secure victory.
She’ll appreciate a good gallop and will be played late by jockey Oisin Orr with Master Of Reality looking another main challenger for Joseph O’Brien – the Lloyd Williams owned runner was recently second to stable-mate Twilight Payment in the Curragh Cup last month.
15:00 CURRAGH – ARMORY
ARMORY can keep his head in front of Leo De Fury from the Tattersalls Gold Cup and claim success for Aidan O’Brien and Seamie Heffernan in the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes. Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old was getting 9lbs from the Harrington runner here last month and finished just ahead in fourth place with both runners dropping back into in grade from that Group 1 contest. The Ballydoyle runner who finished behind Pinatubo, Victor Ludorum and Siskin in the past stayed on under hands and heels that day and ran out ¾ of a length ahead of Leo De Fury in fourth.
Leo De Fury looked tired on that occasion and faded backwards late on having previously secured a good success in the Mooresbridge Stakes in June for the Harrington team. The four-year-old is disadvantaged further by the weights, now giving the O’Brien three-year-old 13lbs and might found it hard to reverse the form. Elsewhere, Numerian could be the best of the Joseph O’Brien pair (both rated 105) with Degraves disappointing behind Delphi last month with Numerian placed nicely behind Leo De Fury and Buckhurst more recently this season.
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