They´re off in Ireland

The Irish turf flat season starts today with the traditional Curragh card featuring the Irish Lincolnshire, a mile handicap at 17.30 CET with 20 runners. With virtually no recent form and very heavy gro9und after the bad winter, we do not recommend betting much here. Most of the top Irish trainers have runners at the meeting, including Aidan O´Brien, Dermot Weld and Jim Bolger. Tommy Stack is a trainer who usually gets off to a quick start and his runners must be considered. The best horses on view will however not be running in races - Aidan O´Brien has brought a group of his star performers, including Derby winner Camelot and several leading classic hopes for 2013, to work on the track after racing. The classiest race is the Group Three Park Express Stakes for fillies over a mile at 16.30 with only 5 runners. Yellow Rosebud (Weld/ Pat Smullern) has top weight here, but could be good enough; an indication could possibly be provided by her full sister Late Rosebud , who runs in the maiden at 15,.30 for the same trainer and jockey.

Paul Nicholls can usually be relied on to saddle a winner at his local track at Wincanton, and Sidney Melbourne (Ryan Mahon) could win the conditioonal jockeys handicap hurdle here 16.55; a winner on the flat, he has been runner-up on all his 3 starts over sticks and runs in his first handicap here. Old Tricks (Colin Tizzard/ Brendan Powell), who runs his best races here, could be the main danger. The heavy going will not be to the taste of all the runners today and we are a bit dubious about hat-trick-chasing Whispering Jack (Kieren Burke/ Gavin Sheehan) in the handicap chase at 17.25; we prefer the lightly-raced Good Order (Tom George/ Paddy Brennan) as well as Shuil Royale (David Arbuthnot/ Daryl Jacpb), while Quinte du Chatelet (David Pipe/ Tom Scudamore) would be a certainty on his old form, but seems to have become somewhat unreliable. The unbeaten One Conemara (Nicky Henderson/ Andrew Tinkler) looks certain to start at long odds-on in the novice hurdle at 17.55, but lo oks almost unbeatable in this company.

Best race at Lingfield is the 10 furlongs handicap at 16.40. Top-weight Mia´s Boy (Chris Dwyer/ Robert Tart) ran disappointingly last week, but is normally very consistent and is handicapped to get the better of Aquilonius (Stuart Williams/ Jamie Spencer) this time. He has the winter´s hot apprentice in the saddle and is our selection.

Curragh - betting forecast:
1. Race: Tom Dooley - Topman Dandy - My Sapphire
2. Race: Snakes And Ladders - So Devoted - Peggy`s Leg
3. Race: Battleroftheboyne - Bird`s Eye View - Elusive Prince
4. Race: Yellow Rosebud - Starbright - Rehn`s Nest
5. Race: Muaanid - Wholelotofrosie - Smoker
6. Race: Hujaylea - Custom Cut - Ansaab
7. Race: Piet Mondrian - Alpinist - Shutter Island