2023 Sunday Curragh Autumn Festvial Tips – DS
2023 Sunday Curragh Autumn Festival Preview
Our UK tips were a disaster on Saturday. However, we fared better in Ireland. Mickey The Steel landed e/w money at 33s (NAP) and we also landed a lovely place with Tall Story at 50s. Let’ hope for more of the same tomorrow, 2023 Sunday Curragh Autumn Festival tips are below.
2.25 – Weld Park Stakes (Group 3)
You won’t see many softer Group 3s than this one. Seven fillies will be fighting it out for precious black type and the favourite Sakti is a two race maiden. To be fair, her second last time came in a C&D G2 so she does set a pretty decent standard.
However, I’m going to stick to a formline that has already paid dividends for us this season. The once raced Peggy O’Neill finished 5th on her debut over C&D. The horse that finished in 7th, Serious Notions, stayed on strongly to land us place money in a Listed heat at Leopardstown on Champions Weekend.
Opera Singer was around 5L ahead of Joe Murphy’s charge and she has since scooted home in a G3 by 6L. It was a strong race and to be only beaten 5.25L for the win was an excellent first effort. This filly is by Zoffany so the forecast rain should be right up her alley and her dam loved to get her toe in too. With a couple of firms paying 3 places, Peggy O’Neill is worth chancing e/w in what looks a wide open heat.
2023 Sunday Curragh Autumn Festival Tip: Peggy O’Neill e/w @ 28/1 (3 places)
3.00 – Renaissance Stakes (Group 3)
Ocean Quest is a serious horse on testing ground and if the forecast is correct, she’ll get those conditions today. Last time out she absolutely hacked up in a Naas G3, backing up her superb effort on faster ground in the Commonwealth behind Shaquille. Her last start on heavy saw her hammer Aesop’s Fables by 6L at Navan and the wetter it is the better for this daughter of Sioux Nation.
She looks a worthy favourite but the one I’ll be backing at bigger odds is Pretty Rebel. Trained by Darren Bunyan and Gerard O’Leary, this 5yo mare was last sighted running a blinder on bad ground behind Tenebrism and Wodao at Cork (6f). She was 2.25L behind the winner in third and she had Moss Tucker and Clever And Cool in behind.
Wodao was just 0.5L ahead of her in 2nd and she re-opposes here, as does Clever And Cool. It is a worry that she hasn’t been seen since that run but perhaps connections were waiting for the backend and softer ground. I’m not sure she should be over twice the price of the Bolger filly so at odds of 25/1, Pretty Rebel is the e/w selection.
2023 Sunday Curragh Autumn Festival Tip: Pretty Rebel e/w @ 25/1
3.35 – Nursery Handicap (2yo)
A very tricky nursery. The most likely winner looks to be Uncle Albert but that is reflected in his price. The other one I am interested in is Barley Cove. We backed him on his third maiden start when he wasn’t off a yard. He still shaped with plenty of promise and the winner of that race, Megarry, won the Listed race in which Lia Fail was placed. A full brother to Mums Tipple, it would be no surprise if this colt makes his opening mark of 70 look generous.
Vestigia is another one with claims but like Uncle Albert and Barley Cove, the bookies haven’t missed him. At bigger odds Thia could go well on the testing ground after an underwhelming handicap debut at Naas (8f yld). He actually finished 0.5L in front of Uncle Albert off levels in a maiden here (6f hvy) in April and he is 3lbs better off with him here. In the hope that soft ground holds the key to him, a small e/w interest on Thia is advised at 16/1.
2023 Sunday Curragh Autumn Festival Tip: Thia e/w @ 16/1
4.10 – Irish Cesarewitch Handicap (Premier)
The rain is forecast to arrive at the Curragh at 10am and it is due to continue until 6pm. By the time of this race you’d imagine it’ll be properly testing. If it does turn heavy, Joupe could outrun her huge odds of 100/1 for Peter Lawlor with Danny Sheehy taking off 3lbs.
This 6yo mare first came to my attention last October. I was on track the day she won and it was an absolutely horrible afternoon weather wise. She scored by a short head off 72 from Advantage Point (14f sft/hvy) and she needed every inch of the trip to get her head in front.
Black Type
We then backed her in the November Handicap 10 days later but it probably came too soon. Her first three runs of 2023 were pretty poor. At Dundalk (16f) she likely needed the run on her reappearance and then Lawlor ran her over inadequate trips the next twice. However, she bounced back to form in a big way on her fourth run, picking up precious black type in a Listed Gowran heat (14f yld).
She went on her summer holidays for 4 months after that superb effort. She returned with two runs over 10f and 9f, both of which looked like sharpeners to me. Now, she steps back up in trip and given that she has black type in the bag, Lawlor has probably decided to have a go at a huge pot.
White Caviar was 2L behind her at Gowran and she has since gone close in handicap company off 90. She has 5L to find with Final Gesture but she is 11lbs better off with that rival. We know she likes the track, we know she likes the ground and if she stays, Joupe can outrun her massive odds of 100/1.
2023 Sunday Curragh Autumn Festival Tip: Joupe e/w @ 100/1 (6 places) Nap
4.45 – Pollardstown Handicap (0-95)
Female Solider is the rag at 33s in this handicap but she has a couple of snippets of form that would give her e/w claims. On her sole try at 17f on bad ground she ran much better than the result might suggest at Galway.
She was travelling sweetly enough with half a mile to go but that horrible final bend at Ballybrit saw her get badly squeezed and she went from around fifth to fifteenth in a matter of yards. Once her jockey got her back on an even keel, she ran on well up the hill and she ended up 9th, 15L behind the winner Teed Up.
Leopardstown Form
That run came off 86 but it was an even better run by her at Leopardstown off 92 behind Moracana last October (15f sft). She ran on really well to finish 5th, 2.5l behind the winner. Female Soldier is in off 79 today, 7lbs lower than Galway and 13lbs lower than Leopardstown.
Dusty Foley had a sighter on her last time and he is 2/36 with 13 top 4s when riding for this owner. If she enjoys a clearer passage than she did at Ballybrit, Female Soldier can outrun her odds of 33/1.
