Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh

there are three low-level N.H. meetings in the U.K. today, but to be honest, we would rather leave these alone and concentrate on Ireland, where the 1,000 Guineas is due to be run at 16.55 CET at the Curragh. With 16 runners, this looks a very open race, and much more difficult than yesterdays 2000, in which - as we expected and predicted here- Aidan O´Brien´s Magician outclassed his opponents. Obviously O´Brien is the place to start again, as he has won the 1,000 repeatedly as well and now saddles three fillies, Hanky Panky (Ryan Moore), Just Pretending (Seamus Heffernan) and Snow Queen, presumably the stable´s number one with the trainer´s son Joseph aboard. However there seems to obvious reason why she should now defeat Just The Judge (Charlie Hills/ Jamie Spencer), a close second at Newmarket in the English Guineas, with Snow Queen fifth, and Maureen (Richard Hannon/ Richard Hughes) in sixth and Masarah (Clive Brittain/ Freddie Tylicki) in eighth not far behind. Classic form is usually the most reliable, so we expect Just the Judge to come out on top again.
However there is plenty more opposition in the race. Big Break (Dermot Weld/ Pat Smullen), a sister to the great Famous Name, is highly rated by her shrewd trainer; however she has not run for almost ten months and possibly needs more rain to fall. John Oxx also has two smart fillies engaged, the Aga Khan´s Harasiya (Declan McDonough), another seasonal debutante, and What Style (Niall McCullough), while Viztoria (Eddie Lynam/ Johnny Murtagh) has won 3 of her 4 starts and easily defeated Snow Queen last year, but has never run on ground as fast as it will be today. We shall stick with Just the Judge, but only if the price is right - 3/1 or better.
The main supporting feature is the Group One Tattersalls Gold Cup for older horses over 1 1/4 miles at 16.20. Only four runners here, but two of them are genuine stars - Camelot (Aidan and Joseph O´Brien) and Al Kazeem (Roger Charlton/ James Doyle), who both look destined for major honours this season. Camelot started out by winning his first 5 races, including the 2,000 Guuineas, Derby and Irish Derby, before his controversial defeat in the St. Leger and below par performance in the Arc, following which he had to have an operation after suffering a severe colic. He made a successful comeback when easily accounting for some inferior opponents over this CD at the beginning of the month. He is clearly one of the best older horses in training anywhere, but does not have much in hand over Al Kazeem, who has also has his problems. He only ran once last year, winning a Newmarket Group Two, and on his comeback this season made an excellent Impression when winning at Sandown. Despite the tiny field, this should be a real race and possibly very tactical, although Windsor Palace (O´Brien/ Heffernan) is presumably in the field as a pacemaker for Camelot. That one will almost certainly start at long odds-on, so a small wager on Al Kazeem - again at 3-1 or better- may be the best bet.
The third group race on the card is the Gallinule Stakes for 3yo´s over 10 furlongs at 15.45, and once again Aidan O´Brien has two fancied candidates in Count of Limonade (Moore) and Leading Light (Joseph). The strongest opposition should come from Peter Deegan´s unbeaten Sruthan (Chris Hayes), but this time we definitely expect a victory for the Ballydoyle stable.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Sir John Hawkins - Intensified - Mustajeeb
2. Race: Clara Bel La - Fairview Star - Aladdins Cave
3. Race: Leading Light - Sruthan - Little White Cloud
4. Race: Al Kazeem - Windsor Palace - Negotiate
5. Race: Just The Judge - Maureen - Big Break
6. Race: Rummaging - Six Of Hearts - Harry Trotter
7. Race: Al Hibaab - Forgehill Cosaque - Vazs Mane Son
8. Race: Manalapan - Lake Nova - Magical Steps