Curragh Phoenix Stakes Day – CopyBet
There’s a quality eight-race card scheduled from the Curragh on Saturday, with the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes the feature. It’s sure to be an informative fixture with next season in mind, not least a juvenile maiden, which has attracted a maximum field size of 30.
The card kicks off at 13:45 and runs through until 17:40 and promises to be another big day for Aidan O’Brien, who bids for a remarkable 18th victory in the Phoenix Stakes, his first win in the 6f event coming way back in 1998 with Lavery.
Yellowstone Lake – Curragh
There isn’t a massive amount of form to go on in this 7f fillies’ contest, but Paddy Twomey’s YELLOWSTONE LAKE shaped like a winner in waiting when chasing home the reopposing Fairy Oak on her debut over 6.5f at Leopardstown last month.
The daughter of Sioux Nation wasn’t without support on her introduction and turned in a big effort, keeping on well inside the final furlong and just losing out to Michael O’Callaghan’s more experienced winner.
There was only a neck between them at the finish and a 4lb pull, aided by this extra half-furlong, should be enough to see her gain revenge. A decisive success could see the selection return here later in the month for a crack at the Group 2 Debutante Stakes.
Gazelle d’Or – Curragh
The Michael Grassick-trained GAZELLE D’OR never looked like maintaining her unbeaten record in the ultra competitive Scurry Premier Handicap over 6.5f here last month, but she ran a blinder in the circumstances and still looks ahead of the handicapper.
Successful in her first two starts at this venue, scrambling home by the minimum margin over 6f in April before winning over this course-and-distance in June, she was up a total of 9lb for those wins.
However, she was still 5lb wrong at the weights last time, having to run off 89 as opposed to her official mark of 84.
She’s gone up another pound since, but is able to race off her proper mark this time and won’t be at all inconvenienced by this drop back in trip.
Kind Of Blue – Curragh
James Fanshawe’s KIND OF BLUE has been a long way off last season’s best in two runs this year, but he had a valid excuse for his reappearance defeat in France (reared and missed the break) and probably just didn’t fire on the Tapeta at Newcastle last time, a track which often finds horses out.
However, because of his efforts this term, he may well go under the radar a bit with the bookmakers and the four-year-old, who was just touched off in this race 12 months earlier, certainly warrants a small interest.
He ran some excellent races at the end of the last campaign, suffering a narrow defeat in the Group 1 Haydock Park Sprint and winning the British Champions Sprint at Ascot in October, his first win at the highest level.