The ‘grand oul stretch’ in the evening is no more and he wind would skin a man. In an attempt to deny the obvious onset of winter, I will be playing pool with my brother-in-law this weekend. Nothing says summer holidays like pool. Well, maybe crazy golf.
Or putting on the linen trousers for an evening at the races and I’m starting to weep for the lost summer now. Not good for morale or the laptop keys, we move on…
This weekend offers Irish racing fans an interesting two-day fixture in the Curragh. I will concentrate my energies on Sunday’s card. The ground is on the easy side, but there isn’t much rain forecast.
14:30 Breakfast Club
The is a premier handicap over 5 furlongs and BREAKFAST CLUB is a horse I would normally look to avoid.
He takes a big jump in grade and got 10lbs for winning last time out, that’s a fair hike for a sprinter. It’s very hard to get Sceptical and Make A Challenge out of my mind though.
Like them, Breakfast Club is a cheap buy trained by Denis Hogan. He was purchased out of the Richard Hannon yard for £7,500 in August and he didn’t look a bargain either. Granted, he had only had three career starts but he looked moderate.
Hogan only had the horse a few weeks before running him in Cork, where he looked far from moderate that day. He travelled all over the opposition before putting the race to bed with the minimum of fuss.
He defied market weakness that day too, but Sunday’s race is obviously a different kettle of fish. This horse’s cruising speed will carry him a long way though.
It’s not fanciful to envisage lightning striking for the third time.
15:40 Marchetti
The fillies maiden looks ripe for an upset and Simply A Breeze, Astadash and Salsa are all opposable for one reason or another. I will take a chance on MARCHETTI.
It’s a little surprising that she’s the stable second string on jockey bookings as her most recent effort in Tipperary was promising. She missed the break, but travelled up well and looked set to play a prominent role in the finish.
Unfortunately, a combination of greenness, it was only her second career start, and being shuffled about saw her fade to fifth. The drop in trip isn’t obvious on pedigree and it’s possible that this will be a run to get her handicapped.
She runs for an owner/breeder outfit though. They would surely welcome a Curragh maiden win on her page. If she can break smartly, and take advantage of the plot draw, she could go close at rewarding odds.
16:50 Kastasa
Dawn Patrol will be prominent in the betting for the Loughbrown Stakes and he looks a complete rogue so there must be value somewhere else.
KASTASA looks the obvious one, the snag with her is that she produced a very moody effort when beaten at a short price last time out. There is obviously a concern that she has fallen out of love with the game.
Connections reach for a first-time visor here. However, it’s only one run, and she had been relentlessly progressive prior to that effort.
Her win in Gowran, on seasonal bow, has worked out well and if she returns to that form, it’s not hard to see her turning away the tame finishing effort of Dawn Patrol. The rest of the opposition don’t look good enough.
17:20 Pulse Of Shanghai
An apprentice handicap closes the card, where it will be interesting to see how Sure Cert goes in the betting.
That looked a funny race she won earlier this week, so PULSE OF SHANGHAI rates the selection. He has generally been competitive from slightly higher marks this season. His run in Dundalk last time suggested that this step up in trip will suit.
It’s interesting that connections dispense with the blinkers here.
This race promises to be run at a strong pace and things should set up well for the Pulse Of Shanghai from a good draw. If putting his best foot forward, he looks to have found a winning opportunity.
* Prices on our snazzy new bet widget are bang up to date.
Brendan Duke’s tips summary:
14:30 Breakfast Club
15:40 Marchetti
16:50 Kastasa
17:20 Pulse Of Shanghai
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