Fran Berry’s Curragh Racing Tips
13:10 – Sharinay
13:40 – Tunbridge Wells
14:15 – My Mate Alfie
14:50 – Sturlasson
15:25 – Azada
16:05 – Ambiente Friendly
16:40 – State Actor
17:15 – Kayhana
17:50 – Saturn
*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.
13:10 – Sharinay
This looks to be a very tight handicap and you could make a case for a lot of runners in this one. Ger Lyons has two runners with clear form angles, however the clear indicator for me is the Naas form of SHARINAY, who makes a step up in trip and is certainly open to further improvement.
Capable of holding off the likes of Soldier’s Empire and Arabic Legend and he looks to be the one to go with in this.
13:40 – Tunbridge Wells
I like the look of Henri Matisse in this race, but the fact he is second string to TUNBRIDGE WELLS for Aidan O’Brien is telling for me. The form of that run, in beating Mighty Eriu in really good style, he went over the finish line very strongly is key. The cheekpieces are on, so they obviously think he needs some motivation and with the benefit of that run, he is the one I’d like to be with.
14:15 – My Mate Alfie
In this race, I’m going for a 3-year-old in MY MATE ALFIE who is trained by Ger Lyons. He has caught the eye of late and is really impressing as a sprinter, he won at Down Royal over 7f last year, and he ran a couple of good races over longer distances. Since dropping down in sprint distances, he’s got better with that experience, and this is not a vintage bunch of older horses.
14:50 – Sturlasson
STURLASSON, at No.10 catches the eye, and 3-year-olds have a decent record in this race. He won his maiden at Navan two starts ago and ran a cracker at the 3-year-old’s only dash at Epsom and finished off strongly. That experience will be beneficial and he takes on a lot of unexposed riders in this race.
15:25 – Azada
The fact that Dermot Keld is running AZADA in this race is interesting to me. Despite lacking some experience, She’s a horse that’s open to more improvement, this race often favours horses looking for speed, if she doesn’t get pushed too far back from the start, she can step up.
16:05 – Ambiente Friendly
AMBIENTE FRIENDLY beat his rival in this race Los Angeles at Epsom. He was also very good in winning the Lingfield Derby, beating Illinois, who went on to win at Royal Ascot. The make up of this race will suit him, he’s better than his rivals, and if he settles it looks good.
16:40 – State Actor
STATE ACTOR continues to impress me. What he did on the Friday of Irish Guineas weekend, he was the only horse to really come from back in mid-field to get up and win, and he did it well. He’s lightly raced, getting better with experience, with a really good turn of foot, and Colin Keane on board is a plus too.
17:15 – Kayhana
KAYHANA’s Irish Champions festival form is key here. She ran in to State Actor recently but made real improvements since coming back into fillies only company of late and both she and the stable could have a very good weekend.
17:50 – Saturn
SATURN is the obvious one to watch but the drop back to 1m4f will suit him better than others. He was probably running on fumes somewhat last time out at the Curragh, when he just beat Tyson Fury on that occasion over 1m6f, but he’s a very progressive horse and can back up recent form.
Fran Berry’s Curragh Racing Tips
13:10 – Sharinay
13:40 – Tunbridge Wells
14:15 – My Mate Alfie
14:50 – Sturlasson
15:25 – Azada
16:05 – Ambiente Friendly
16:40 – State Actor
17:15 – Kayhana
17:50 – Saturn
*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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