Hi Royal Heads Irish Guineas Eleven

TDN Rising Star Hi Royal (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) will bid to go one better than his second placing in the G1 2000 Guineas on Saturday, as Jaber Abdullah's homebred headed 11 runners for the Curragh's G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas. Reunited with Oisin Murphy, who steered him at Newmarket, the Kevin Ryan trainee received the favourable inside stall two with Fitri Hay's Guineas third Royal Scotsman (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) in seven under Jamie Spencer. He is deputising for the Paul and Oliver Cole-trained colt's regular rider Jim Crowley, who is in action for Shadwell at York on one of the first multi-meeting Saturdays of the season.

A First For Murphy?

Incredibly, Oisin Murphy has yet to ride a winner at the Curragh and so Hi Royal would be providing a personal landmark for the jockey if he backs up his stellar effort of three weeks ago when 125-1. “I've been second [at The Curragh] before, so it would be lovely to break my duck this weekend,” he said. “Hi Royal apparently has come out of Newmarket very well. I've a lot of respect for Royal Scotsman, who I just finished in front of in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas but Hi Royal is a straightforward horse and I'm sure he'll give his running. This meeting has a lot of history. I grew up watching the 2000 Guineas at the Curragh on RTE, so to be riding one of the favourites in the race is really nice. It's a great feeling and I want to make the most of it.”

Ballydoyle Shuffle The Pack

Aidan O'Brien will run a trio in the Irish 2000, with the TDN Rising Stars Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Age Of Kings (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) joined by the smart Cairo (Ire) (Quality Road). As expected, Ryan Moore is on the former who captured the course-and-distance Listed Tetrarch S. at the start of the month and is currently the shortest-priced of the home-trained contingent. Ryan Moore's commitment to the Classic means that Frankie Dettori will take the mount on Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) in Haydock's G2 Sandy Lane S. While The Curragh's G2 Greenlands S. had been mooted as the intended target for last year's champion juvenile immediately after the Guineas, connections have opted to keep him in his own age group and head to Merseyside with the G1 Commonwealth Cup the aim.