The Curragh… Saturday 19th August
With the York Ebor Festival just a few days away it is fair to say that there is a slight drop in quality on Saturday with many of the better hopefuls being held back for the Knavesmire. Our team have looked at the cards in the UK, but it is to the Curragh that we must go for the most interesting race on Saturday, where there is an 8-race card that gets underway at 1:45. We have focussed on the 2 pattern races and found a selection for each which you will find below.
3:27 Coolmore Stud Wootton Bassett Irish EBF Futurity Stakes (Group 2)
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ISLANDSINTHESTREAM
This is a fascinating contest for the 2-year-olds over 7-furlongs. Henry Longfellow is likely to be a warm order after an impressive winning debut last month and the fact that he has the services of Ryan Moore would suggest that he is favoured over stablemate, Portland. He holds some fancy Group 1 entries and landed the odds on debut to win by nearly 2-lengths from Mythology at the end of July. That form looks relatively solid, but there is no doubt that he was favoured by racing prominently and he may prove vulnerable to a genuine turn-of-foot in a smaller field. Portland looks likely to act as his pacemaker despite having fair claims of his own after he won a valuable Nursery at Galway last time, but we are keen to take them both on with the Joseph O’Brien trained Islandsinthestream.
He made an eye-catching debut when he won a maiden here in June. Despite being slowly away and hanging at times under pressure, he came with a sustained late run to win going away from School of Law, with Portland back in third. The time figure was good and although he missed his intended engagement at Leopardstown last month due to unsuitable ground, his connections were prepared to pitch him straight into pattern company which shows the regard in which he is held. He holds huge potential, especially with the benefit of his debut experience and he represents some fair value against the Ballydoyle pair.
4:00 – Alpha Centauri Debutante Stakes (Group 2) (Fillies)
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PEARLS AND RUBIES
Several of these Fillies appear to be thrown in at the deep end by their connections in the hope of picking up some early Black Type for their CVs, but the most obvious piece of form to focus on is the Chesham at Royal Ascot. Snellen got the better of Pearls and Rubies on that occasion, but the runner-up raced prominently down the centre that day and drifted across in the closing stages whereas the winner had a much smoother passage on the stands side. The pair of them ran a great race and Pearls and Rubies confirmed the strength of that form when she finished 2nd in the Anglesey Stakes here last month. It will be a huge shock if these 2 don’t fight out the finish based on the form we have on offer, but with an easier trip and if Ryan Moore can keep her running in a straight line, she looks the most likely winner.
