The Irish Champions Festival continues into day two with the action moving to the Curragh on Sunday where there’s four Group One races to look out for.
There are eight races in total and Andy Newton is on hand to give you his Curragh horse racing tips for the main contests – including the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Irish St Leger.
Each day we also have our horse racing tips that showcase FOUR best bets in a Lucky 15, plus we highlight any horses that are running that won the same races last year.
Curragh Horse Racing Tips On Sunday: Aidan O’Brien Eyes Thirteenth National StakesÂ
Of the eight races on Irish Champions Day on Sunday, there are FOUR live contests being shown on the ITV Racing schedule – along with five at Doncaster.
These include the Moyglare Stud Stakes (2:40pm), a race Aidan O’Brien has won ten times and has a big chance of adding to that with his classy filly Composing.
O’Brien has also won the National Stakes a stack of times (12) but still trails Vincent O’Brien (15 wins), who the race is names after.
Ballydoyle look to move a step closer to the record though with Coventry Stakes winner Gstaad the warm order with the horse racing betting sites.
2:40 Curragh – Moyglare Stud Stakes (Group 1) (Fillies) (2yo) 7f ITV
Trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the Moyglare Stud Stakes ten times in the past and is taken to extend that record here with COMPOSING.
This impressive filly has done nothing but improve all season – winning her last three and two of those have also come here at the Curragh.
The most recent was a 2 1/2 length win over Suzie Songs, who she takes on again on the same terms and is fully expected to uphold that form.
O’Brien also runs Beautify, but with both her runs over 6f has a bit to prove over this 7f trip. However, was impressive in beaten Lady Iman back in June and her breeding suggests the extra yardage will be no issue (Wootton Bassett). She is as low as 6/1 for the Fillies’ Mile and 8/1 for the Cheveley Park Stakes.
If that’s not enough, O’Brien also has Prestige Stakes winner Precise in too – but the form of that run has been mixed since with the second Moon Target flopping in the May Hill, but the third Aylin winning it.
Venetian Sun The Top-Rated In The Line-up
The top-rated in the field though is Venetian Sun and will certainly have her backers after four straight wins. Plus the Karl Burke team won this in 2023 with Fallen Angel.
The last win being a beating of Gstaad in the Prix Morny in France. However, the worry for her is the step up in trip (7f), with all her wins coming over 6f.
Her breeding also suggests getting an extra furlong might be hit and miss with her dam and sire only winning over 6 or 6 1/2f.
With that in mind, Composing is the safer call with track form and having won over 7f. But O’Brien could also easily fire in a 1-2-3 here with Beautify and Precise very promising sorts too.
🥇COMPOSING
🥈BEAUTIFY
🥉PRECISE
3:15 Curragh – Bar One Racing Flying Five Stakes (Group 1) (3yo+) 5f ITV
Nunthorpe winner Asfoora will be all the rage here with the horse racing betting sites – but she’s not for me.
Yes, she was impressive that day but this will be a lot different. Firstly, she won’t have Oisin Murphy riding with Dylan Browne McMonagle getting the leg-up for the first time on this Aussie sprinter.
She’s also not got a great record in backing up a win – the last time she won back-to-back races was in 2022 when aged 3. Plus, finally, 14 of the last 15 winners of these were aged 5 or younger – so at 7 she falls down here too – and this will also be her first run at the Curragh.
The two Amo Racing horses ARIZONA BLAZE and Bucanero Fuerte are preferred more – with both loving this track.
Blaze’s form here reads 1-2-1-3-3-1, while Fuerte, who was 7th last year, has won four times at the Curragh and heads here in great form after winning the Phoenix Sprint Stakes over 6f.
There is little between them, but with David Egan picking Arizona Blaze, we have to take note. Yes, he’s got 6 lengths to find with Asfoora on that Nunthorpe run last time, but the Curragh track will suit him much better.
It’s also interesting that five of the last nine winners came from gates 6, 7 or 8 – which is a plus for Vadream, Whistlejacket and Night Raider.
And of those three a chance is also taken on Whistlejacket (stall 7) – especially if the ground gets any softer.
He’s a horse that has disappointed in the main since winning the G1 Prix Morny last season but is 2-1-2 here at the Curragh too and 2-1-1-1-2-1 on soft if the track does get more of the wet stuff.
🥇ARIZONA BLAZE
🥈WHISTLEJACKET
🥉BUCANERO FUERTE
3:50 Curragh – Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (Group 1) (No Geldings) (2yo) 7f ITV
Aidan O’Brien, with 12 wins, is homing in on Vincent’s record in this race (15) – and will be hoping to move a step closer with Gstaad, Italy and Dorset the three Ballydoyle runners.
Of that bunch Gstaad will be the most popular, having impressed in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. However, his bubble was burst a tad when losing to Venetian Sun in France last time out. A win for his conqueror in the Moyglare, would make his claims stronger though, plus after running on well over 6f – the step up to 7f is sure to suit.
But he’s taking on two fair sorts in Saba Desert ZAVATERI.
The former comes from the Charlie Appleby yard, who won this in 2018 and 2019, and heads here 2-2 after wins at Sandown and Newmarket.
Vintage Stakes winner Zavateri is the call though and you feel if this Eve Johnson Houghton-trained 2 year-old was trained by O’Brien, Appleby or Gosden – might be a tad shorter in the betting.
We know the trip suits, and he looked gutsy the last day at Goodwood too when pulling out when joined by Morris Dancer. The second has also since franked the form by beating A Bit Of Spirit easily at Salisbury and that horse has also since won the Solario Stakes.
With Vintage Stakes 7th Humidity also running well in the Solario Stakes since, the form is there for all to see. The only unknowns are the track and if the ground turns softer, with all Zavateri’s runs on good or quicker – but at the prices I’m happy to take a punt on those.
🥇ZAVATERI
🥈GSTAAD
🥉SABA DESERTÂ
4:25 Curragh – Comer Group International Irish St. Leger (Group 1) (3yo+) 1m6f ITV
Aidan O’Brien has won the Irish St Leger seven times and is still two behind Dermot Weld and Vincent O’Brien on nine.
He tries for another with his Goodwood Cup second Illinois, who had his chance franked when stablemate Scandinavia won Saturday’s British St Leger.
Connections are reaching for the cheekpieces today and from his 12 races is still to finish out of the first three (4 wins). All ground is fine too and he’s 1-1 here at the Curragh when winning on debut back in October 2023.
We’ve two British challengers too in Al Qareem and AMILOC, with the last-named preferred from the Ralph Beckett team. His chance will also be enhanced if Zahraan, who he beat at Royal Ascot, has run well in Saturday’s Irish Champion Stakes.
This longer trip could easily bring out more and heads here 5-from-5 so it’s hard to fault him – as long as the track suits. He’s the won that could still have the most improvement and gets the nod to give Ralph Beckett his first Irish St Leger.
Being a 3 year-old also gets 8lbs off the older horses and that brings the adjusted ratings right in line with Al Riffa and Illinois.
The fly in the ointment to the pick could be Al Riffa who was an easy winner of the Curragh Cup last time – beating Shackleton by 5 lengths.
This Joseph O’Brien horse loves it here at the Curragh – with form figures that read 2-1-1-2-1 – and having also run second to the classy Rebel’s Romance in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot back in June.
🥇AMILOC
🥈ILLINOIS
🥉AL RIFFA
