Timeform’s Tony McFadden highlights three of the best British raiders at the Irish Champions Festival.
Saturday
16:30 Leopardstown – Al Aasy
AL AASY found less than had looked likely on a few occasions during the 2021 campaign, meeting with defeat despite trading at long odds-on in running, and he was handed the infamous Timeform squiggle, a signal that denotes unreliability.
However, Al Aasy won well on his only start last season and it’s been difficult to find much fault with what he’s been doing this term. He was well beaten on his return at Newmarket in July but proved a completely different proposition to win at Newbury a few weeks later and then followed up at Haydock last month, picking up well to lead close home and score by a neck.
The Timeform squiggle has been removed after Al Aasy gave no reason to question his attitude the last twice and, clearly in excellent heart at present, he has the form to go close in this Group 3, with the step back up to a mile and a half unlikely to pose a problem.
17:40 Leopardstown – Rhoscolyn
Trainers based in Britain have won five of the last nine runnings of this valuable handicap and David O’Meara’s RHOSCOLYN is interesting off a 7lb lower mark than when an unlucky-in-running fifth in last year’s race.
Rhoscolyn was out of form earlier this season but dropped a long way in the weights and, after shaping with some encouragement when runner-up at Beverley in July, he capitalised on his reduced mark to land a seven-furlong handicap at Goodwood last month, justifying favouritism under Oisin Murphy.
Things didn’t work out for him in the Golden Mile – he met plenty of trouble in running – but he quickly resumed winning ways in a useful handicap back over seven furlongs at Goodwood last time, registering a third course-and-distance success with something to spare.
His resurgence has come with plenty of cut in the ground and his effectiveness when the mud is flying means he’s best suited to such conditions. However, he does have smart form on a sound surface, including a third in the Buckingham Palace Handicap at Royal Ascot last season from a much higher mark.
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Sunday
14:55 Curragh – Highfield Princess
HIGHFIELD PRINCESS had to settle for second when bidding to retain her Nunthorpe crown at York last month, but she ran respectably without being able to peg back a very speedy improver.
She had looked as good as ever when bolting up in the King George Stakes at Goodwood on her previous outing, matching the high-class Timeform rating she achieved last season when rattling off a Group 1 hat-trick, which included a decisive three-and-a-quarter-length success in this event.
Highfield Princess, who was the third British-based sprinter to win this event since it was afforded Group 1 status ahead of the 2018 edition, stands out on the pick of her form and should take all the beating.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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