Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh

An excellent day´s racing, but pride of place goes clearly to the Irish 2,000 Guineas at 16.45 CET on the Curragh.13 3yo´s line up, 6 of them trained by Aidan O´Brien, who has a good record here, but whose stable is still not really firing on all cylinders. Steinbeck is the choice of stable jockey Johnny Murtagh, and he could well be the best horse in the field, but he is awfully inexperienced for a classic contender, having only run twice.

After an easy debut win, he finished a good 4th in the Dewhurst last October and has not been seen since. He can certainly score here, but does not appeal as a good bet at the likely odds. O´Brien´s second jockey, Seamus Heffernan, rather surprisingly partners Dynasty, while Colm O´Donoghue rides Fencing Master, 7th in the English 2,000, where stable companion Viscount Nelson was 11th. They finished behind Canford Cliffs (Richard Hannon/ Richard Hughes) and Xtension (Clive Cox/ Adam Kirby) in 3rd and 4th. On that form, they are the most likely winners, especially the former, who has long been regarded as a star in the Hannon stable; however there is still a nagging doubt regarding his stamina. He showed tremendous speed to win last year at Royal Ascot, but that does not mean he does not get a mile, and he is our selection. Free Judgement (Jim Bolger/ Kevin Manning), Noll Wallop (Tommy Stack/ Wayne Lordan) and Keredari (John Oxx/ Fran Berry) also come into the equation.

The Group Three Greenlands Stakes over 6 furlongs at 16.10 is the main supporting feature, and Aidan O´Brien has two runners here, both promising 3yo´s - Alfred Nobel (Murtagh) and Air Chief Marshal (Heffernan), while Kevin Prendergast´s Velvet Fucker (Declan McDonough) has won his last 3 races and looks a big danger, as is British raider Markab (Henry Candy/ Pat Cosgrave). The Equestrian Stakes for older fillies and mares at 17.20 is another group race, but the field does not look too strong, and the two British fillies Shamwari Lodge (Hannon/ Hughes) and Annabelle´s Charm (Luca Cumani/ Kieren Fallon) could well prove too strong for their Irish rivals.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Art Broker - Tovaria - Righteous Man
2. Race: Bangalore Gold - Lord Kenmare - Across The Rhine
3. Race: Moment Of Weakness - Samuel Morse - Lightening Thief
4. Race: Alfred Nobel - Air Chief Marshal - Rain Delayed
5. Race: Canford Cliffs - Steinbeck - Fencing Master
6. Race: Shamwari Lodge - Choose Me - Latin Love
7. Race: Aghadoe - Legendary Lad - Enjoy Your Life