The Curragh

Fourteen fillies will line up for Sunday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas at The Curragh, with Ballydoyle's Opera Singer (Justify) the key name among them. Joined by three others from the stable, the impressive G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine was forced to miss Newmarket due to a setback and has stall 13 to contend with under Ryan Moore. Joining her are the G1 Cheveley Park S. runner-up Pearls And Rubies (No Nay Never), the G3 Mutamakina S. runner-up Buttons (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) and G3 Salsabil S. third Everlasting (Ire) (Kingman...

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's G1 2,000 Guineas runner-up Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), trained by Richard Hannon, will face seven rivals, including a trio from Ballydoyle, in Saturday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh. Bidding to become only the fifth English-trained runner to win since 2010, the year of the stable's Canford Cliffs (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}), last year's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero is likely to start favourite over the Aidan O'Brien-trained top-level performers River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Hannon...

Recent G2 Middleton S. heroine Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}) is targeting the G1 Pretty Polly S. at the Curragh on June 29. The Juddmonte homebred, who is trained by Ralph Beckett, was also under consideration for the G1 Coronation Cup on May 31 at Epsom. In 2023, the filly was second in the G1 Irish Oaks and the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. "You're always hoping with a filly like her that she'll improve from three to four, that's not a given but I think we all felt...

Continuing his perfect start to the current campaign, Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez's White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) added The Curragh's G2 Coolmore Stud Sottsass Irish EBF Mooresbridge S. to last month's G3 Alleged S. success with the minimum of fuss on Monday. Third in the Derby last June after taking the G3 Ballysax S. and finishing runner-up in the G2 Dante S., the John Murphy-trained grey stalked the leader Greenland (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) early under Colin Keane before taking over approaching the two-furlong pole. Too strong from there, the 2-1 favourite...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's Observations features a pair of No Nay Never colts who are contesting Curragh listed races. 14.25 Curragh, Listed, €50,000, 3yo, 8fT SAMUEL COLT (IRE) (No Nay Never) is the star turn in this Listed Coolmore Stud Paddington Irish EBF Tetrarch S., named in honour of the colt who...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features a full-brother to Group 1-winning juvenile Little Big Bear (Ire). 14.25 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 2yo, 6fT WHISTLEJACKET (IRE) (No Nay Never) debuts in the maiden that his brilliant full-brother Little Big Bear (Ire) was narrowly beaten in two years ago. A 500,000gns Tattersalls Book 1 purchase...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features a son of the dual 1000 Guineas heroine Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). 13.35 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 3yo, 7fT IGOR STRAVINSKY (IRE) (No Nay Never), who was scratched from his intended debut at Dundalk last week, is set to start on turf for the Ballydoyle stable which...

Brian Kavanagh has said that he agrees completely with Johnny Murtagh's assertion that Ireland should not be "resting on its laurels" when it comes to prize-money while Irish Racehorse Trainers Association [IRTA] chief Ryan McElligott expressed a wish that the Curragh boss's decision to up the minimum prize fund at the track to €20,000 could stir up similar change among other racecourses.  Leopardstown, Ireland's only other Group 1 Flat track, has followed the Curragh's lead in raising its basement prize-money levels to €15,000. However, leading trainers Joseph O'Brien and Ado...

Monday's curtain-raising Curragh card saw Whitsbury Manor Stud's first-season sire Sergei Prokofiev register his opening salvo as his son Arizona Blaze (GB) captured the five-furlong Castle Star And Alkumait At Capital Stud Irish EBF Maiden. Representing AMO Racing Limited and Giselle De Aguiar and the Adrian Murray stable, the £82,000 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale graduate was always on the sharp end under David Egan. Asserting from Rowdy Yeats (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) inside the final furlong, the 5-4 favourite eked out a professional 1 1/4-length success. "David [Egan] said...

Barry Fitzgerald may be an under-the-radar trainer but he is by no means unheard of. The County Carlow-based handler registered five winners in Ireland last season and six the previous campaign. What's more impressive is that he was operating at a hugely respectable 10 and 14 per cent strike-rate for those respective campaigns. No mean feat when you're operating with just a handful of Flat horses and working with limited pedigrees every year.  But the quality is on the up in the yard and Fitzgerald, already off the mark this year...

No sooner is the Cheltenham Festival wound up than the Flat Turf season begins at The Curragh on Monday, leaving no time to draw breath. Offering the ultimate contrast to the recent jumping spectacles is the opening five-furlong Castle Star And Alkumait At Capital Stud Irish EBF Maiden for 2-year-olds, where a clutch of the entries are by the first-season sires Sergei Prokofiev, Verbal Dexterity (Ire), Far Above (Ire) and Arizona (Ire). It is Whitsbury Manor Stud's resident Sergei Prokofiev who could have the favourite in the Adrian Murray-trained colt...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a half to the multiple Group 1-placed Adelaide River. 13.15 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, f, 7fT EVERLASTING (IRE) (Kingman {GB}) is one of a trio from Ballydoyle and as the only newcomer with Ryan Moore on board the clues as to her ability are already writ...