THE YANKEE MAN IS AT IT AGAIN: It’s a fabulous Curragh card in Ireland today, with fillies and colts trials which suggest you are probably seeing a 2012 Classic winner in action. And, of course, Shamrock the yankee king (605-1 accumulator on Thursday) tries another one today.
It’s the 2012 Guineas run eight months early. With five of the front eight in the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas betting, the Phoenix Stakes is an absolute classic at The Curragh this afternoon. For sure, the winner of this will be red-hot for Newmarket until something else comes along, late season.
2.35 Curragh (Royal Whip) Though Mutahadee and Cocozza are unexposed, nothing else we have seen should stop the ultra-game and dependable filly Banimpire from landing her fifth Group win of a remarkable season.
Banimpire was headed on the line, so close to a Group-1 in the Irish Oaks, and today she returns to the Group-2 level of her gritty Ribblesdale success at Royal Ascot.
3.35 Curragh (Debutante Stakes) Of Ballydoyle’s four out of seven in this, Necklace and Lillie Langtry appealed to me most, but I tipped last year’s 5-1 winner Laughing Lashes and her trainer, Jessica Harrington, won’t be far off the pace again with Remember Alexander, a half-sister to Memory.
Both ‘Alexander’ and Teolane are by Teofilo, while Maybe and Soon are daughters of Galileo. Should we look further than this illustrious quartet? I think not.
Teolane has six lengths to make up on Maybe on Spring form, and Maybe has confirmed her status as the leading Irish filly since then on different types of ground.
Soon’s defeat of Redoutable at Galway does not amount to much at this stage but Remember Alexander would be a formidable opponent if she ran as well as her two lengths second to Royal Ascot winner Power on today’s course.
She also pulverized them at Leopardstown, although the ground was soft that day and the race run in slow time. Betdaq this morning allows 5.3 Remember Alexander with a stakes saver on Maybe at 2.59.
4.05 Curragh (Phoenix Stakes) As I say, a real classic. If Maybe has won the Debutante, Kevin Prendergast will have been justified in running La Collina in the Phoenix but, at this point in time, it looks very speculative (50.0 on the Daq) to say the least but keep your betting eyes peeled.
Similarly, Parish Hall’s connections would hope they’ve seen a big run from Remember Alexander in the Debutante.
After is surely not one of Ballydoyle’s better fillies. And Reply would need a mass of improvement, so – though sometimes the second or third strings win – I think we can assume here that After and Reply are trying to set it up for Power.
Power and Lilbourne Lad have both edged out Tough As Nails, one over 5f, one over 6f, as if there is nothing much between them. But there is in the market: Lilbourne Lad is much bigger (7.0 as I write) with Tough As Nails a good offer as a 15.0 each-way outsider to continue pestering the front rank.
5.05 Curragh (Phoenix Sprint) With Deacon Blues odds on – one for the Daq Multiples – I’m having a bit each way on the improver Empowering.
5.35 Curragh A cracking handicap to finish the day. The stats suggest taking out the bottom seven (no winners below 8st 10lb.), deleting the old horses, the highly-weighted three-year-olds and the high stalls.
So, are you with me, expecting Lake George to continue his improvement (36lb in four runs) and showing no sign of stopping.
SHAMROCK’S BETS
NAP: Remember Alexander (3.35 The Curragh)
NEXT BEST: Lilbourne Lad (4.05 The Curragh)
OUTSIDER: Tough As Nails (4.05 The Curragh), Dream Home (4.20 Downpatrick), Empowering (5.05 The Curragh)
DAQ YANKEE: Banimpire (2.35 The Curragh), Remember Alexander (3.35 The Curragh), Deacon Blues (5.05 The Curragh), Lake George (5.35 The Curragh)
