Listed race at the Curragh

for a Sunday this is weak stuff and the best race is the listed event over 10 furlongs at 16.50 CET. Three 3yo´s take on 5 older horses and the likely favourite is Aidan O´Brien´s Learn (Colm O´Donoghue), who has not run this season, but finished fourth in two of the best juvenile races last autumn. If he can run to this form - and the stable´s 3yo´ s are winning everything in sight - then he ought to win today.

The two other members of the crop come with winning form at a much lower level and need to improve a lot to figure here. Best of the older brigade are Sweet Lightning (Tommy Carmody/ Ben Curtis), winner of the Lincoln Handicap last year, and Sharestan (John Oxx/ Niall McCullagh), who took the Irish equivalent this year. Of these Sharestan is easily preferred and he looks the danger to Learn.

Both U.K.meetings today are over jumps. Easiy the best race is the 3 mile handicap chase at 17.10 at Perth, which has attracted a strong field for June. Gordon Elliott, who has a good record on his Scottish raids, has sent two runners across the Irish Sea -College Oak (Jason Maguire) and Trendelenburg (Timmy Murphy), with the former preferred on recent form. Welsh trainer Evan Williams also has two runners, Buck Mulligan (Adam Wedge), who has been running well in decent company, amd Plunkett (DE Splaine) going for a hat-trick, but one of seven runners out of the handicap. Auroras Encore (Sue Smith/ Ryan Mania) is the class act here. having finished second in the Scottish Grand National last time, but has a huge weight to carry and the trip might be too short. This is a very open race and Buck Mulligan (a character from our favourite book) is only a token selection.

The card at Worcester is less exciting, but Amuse Me (Jonjo O´Neill/ Tony MCoy) can complete a fourtimer in the main event, a novices handicap chase at 16.30. He would not want any more rain to fall, in which case top-weight Minella Stars (Paul Nicholls/ Daryl Jacob) would be the selection; he has been placed seven times running and loves the mud.