Pretty Polly at the Curragh

today´s 3 meetings in the U.K. are of little account, but it is a different matter at the Curragh, where the Irish Derby meeting ends with a flourish. Main feature is the Group One Pretty Polly Stakes for fillies and mares over 10 furlongs at 17.30 CET. In recent years the older fillies have dominated, but this time the younger generation is very strongly represented with two classic winners: Legatissimo (David Wachman/ Ryan Moore) and Pleascach (Jim Bolger/ Kevin Manning), winners of the Newmarket and Curragh 1,000 Guineas respectively. Both of them were runners-up next time over a longer distance - the former in the Oaks and the latter at Royal Ascot, but today´s neutral distance should be ideal. Best of the older runners are the very consistent 5yo Secret Gesture (Ralph Beckett/ Andrea Atzeni), runner-up in both the English and German Oaks in 2013, and the unbeaten Brooch (Dermot Weld/ Pat Smullen), who is moving up to Group One competition for the first time but has always looked to have the required ability. In-foal Pollyanna (John Hammond/ Colin Keane) is a challenger from France, but it will probably need to rain all day before she has any chance. Diamondsandrubies (Aidan O´Brien/ Seamie Heffernan) was fifth in the Oaks after being badly hampered, but it is still hard to see her gettting the better of Legatissimo, and jockey bookings would seem to confirm this. The 3yo´s receive 12 lbs from their elders here and this is probably a couple of pounds too much, so they could well come out on top this time.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Kitten Loves Roses - Sanus Per Aquam - Zig Zag
2. Race: Air Pilot - Roheryn - Parish Hall
3. Race: Cenotaph - Doc Holliday - Lady Ranger
4. Race: Great Page - Miss Elizabeth - Miss Katie Mae
5. Race: Pleascach - Diamondsandrubies - Ribbons
6. Race: Master Speaker - Desert Law - Bainne
7. Race: Forgotten Rules - Order Of St George - Bondi Beach
8. Race: Witty Repartee - Long Journey Home - Tar Isteach